Nissan North America posted record U.S. 2012 sales of 1,141,656 vehicles, an increase of 9.5 percent rom 2011.

In addition, 2012 represented the first time that the Franklin-based company saw its Nissan brand sold more than 1 million vehicles in a calendar year. Specifically, the Nissan Division sold 1,021,779 vehicles, while the Infinity Division sold 119,877 vehicles.

The year ended on a more sobering note, tough: Nissan sales for December totaled 99,290, down 1.6 percent from the December 2011 figure.

The Altima, which is manufactured at Nissan's Smyrna facility, enjoyed a robust 2012, with 302,934 sales compared to 268,981 sales in 2011, a 12.6 percent hike. In all, car sales were up 5 percent, truck sales 13 percent.