Nissan U.S. sales slip 1% in May

Nissan Group's U.S. auto sales slipped 1% to 133,496 units in May.

Analysts at Edmunds.com and TrueCar had projected declines of 1.7% and 0.4%, respectively, while Kelley Blue Book projected an increase of 0.2%.

The automaker's namesake Nissan brand posted a 1.3% decline to 122,668 vehicles, while the Infiniti luxury brand rose 3.4%.

Nissan brand car sales slumped 2.9% as consumers abandoned small cars in favor of bigger vehicles amid low gasoline prices. Nissan brand crossovers, sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks rose 0.8%.

After a strong start to the year, industry analysts projected declines for most major manufacturers in May, compared to the same month a year ago, which had two more selling days and one additional weekend.

Edmunds.com projected a 5.8% industry decline, while Kelley Blue Book foresaw a 6.2% decrease and TrueCar predicted a 4% fall. U.S. auto sales remain at near-record high levels.

One positive sign for Nissan was the continued momentum of the Rogue crossover, which rose 5.9% to 27,428 vehicles. But the Altima mid-size sedan, Nissan's best-selling vehicle and car stalwart, fell 15.5% to 28,404.

Follow Paste BN reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.