Tough Month For Auto Sales Was A Mixed Bag For Tennessee-Made Models

It was a tough month for cars sales, and those built in Tennessee were at both ends of the spectrum.

Nissan, which produces many of its models in Tennessee, saw a 3 percent drop across the board.

Nissan’s biggest sellers are made in Smyrna, and the Altima sedan and Rogue compact SUV
both dropped considerably for the month. There was a small uptick in sales of the all-electric LEAF, but the numbers are still relatively tiny with 1,300 sold for the month. Trucks, which Nissan primarily builds in Mississippi, did better than cars.

GM reported a bigger sales dip than Nissan, but its Tennessee plant in Spring Hill was a bright spot. The Cadillac XT5 SUV, which is now built at the former Saturn plant, continued to surge and
remains the best-selling Cadillac. 

Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga makes just one sedan at the moment, and sales of the
Passat plummeted by more than 20 percent in July. However, VW is currently adding production of an SUV tailored for the American market.