Nissan sales rise in February as SUVs surge

Nissan Group's U.S. sales surged 10.5% in February, compared with a year earlier, as the auto industry kept humming along at a near-record pace.

The automaker's namesake Nissan brand enjoyed a 12.9% gain to 120,540 units, while its smaller Infiniti luxury brand slipped 11% to 10,371 vehicles.

The overall increase beat Edmunds.com analyst expectations of 7.5% growth and Kelley Blue Book expectations of 8.9% growth.

Nissan is capitalizing on a consumer rush into sport-utility vehicles and crossovers. Although the company has long been strong in cars — with vehicles such as the Altima mid-size sedan and Maxima full-size sedan — its SUVs are now shining.

The Murano crossover enjoyed an 86% increase to 7,445 units, while the Rogue crossover and Pathfinder SUV each enjoyed their best-ever February.

Average incentives per vehicle rose 2.9% to $3,271, according to TrueCar. While better than the industry growth rate of 11%, the company is still spending about $300 more per vehicle in discounts than the industry average.

That could account for the Nissan brand's 11.9% sales increase in cars, which are struggling industry-wide due to low gasoline prices.

Follow Paste BN reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.