2015 Nissan Altima
The 2015 Nissan Altima Nissan

Nissan North America said Wednesday its sales jumped 18.5 percent last month to 102,955 vehicles compared to September 2013 as buyers drove away in Nissan Versa subcompacts, Sentra sedans and Rogue crossovers. This growth came despite a sales drop of 13 percent at its Infiniti luxury car division. Overall, Nissan said that last month was its best September on record.

“Rogue sales remained brisk, setting a September record at 17,229, an increase of 51.8 percent,” Nissan said in a statement. Sentra sales leaped 61 percent while Versa was up 38 percent. Sales for Nissan's best-selling Altima midsize car were up 2 percent to nearly 22,000 units.

Automakers are reporting their U.S. September sales numbers throughout the day. Analysts expect the world's Big 8 automakers to report a 9 percent increase in sales compared to September 2013.

The Frontier benefited from overall strength in trucks, with sales spiking 47 percent. Rogue and Frontier helped push growth in Nissan’s mix of utility vehicles upward by nearly 31 percent. Infiniti continues to suffer as consumers gravitate toward Lexus and other luxury brands. Leading Infiniti sales are the Q50 compact sedan and the QX60 midsize crossover. Half of the eight models in Nissan’s luxury division saw sales decline compared to last year.

Watch a recent review of the 2014 Infinitis Q50, a lower-priced entry level luxury sedan:

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