Nissan Motor Co. announced Tuesday that orders for its newly introduced Cube reached 10,176 units on Monday, only one week after the launch of the five-door compact model.
The 1.3-liter compact car debuted Feb. 2, and the company initially set its monthly sales target at 8,000 units. In May, the automaker received orders for 5,615 units of the Elgrand sport utility vehicle within a week of its launch, surpassing its initial sales target of 5,000 a month.
The company hopes the Cube's popularity will become even stronger and that recent sluggish sales will be stimulated by the launch of the new model. "Many minicar users seem to be placing orders for the Cube, which is slightly larger because of its high roof. We think our new model has matched their demand," said a Nissan spokesman. Nissan has been suffering from declining sales because it lacks a popular model. Its sales dropped 19.1 percent in January from the previous year.