The car industry is a jungle, and Nissan is currently stumbling through it like a wounded lion lost in the undergrowth. This Japanese giant, once a trailblazer with the Leaf and a bold player with the Qashqai, has announced it’s in an unprecedented crisis. Seven factories are closing, 20,000 jobs are on the chopping block, and losses are piling up like debts at a poorly run casino. What’s going on here? And more importantly, can Nissan pull itself out of this quagmire, or is the end nigh?
Let’s start with the numbers, because they’re so grim they could star in their own horror flick. In 2024, Nissan posted a loss of 4.5 billion euros. That’s not a typo, nor is it spare change you find under the sofa. Sales have tanked, especially in key markets like China and the US, where Nissan’s cars seem less popular than a rainy Monday morning. Production capacity is also gasping for air: Nissan can build 5 million cars a year, but in 2024, only 3 million rolled off the lines. It’s like running a restaurant that can serve 500 plates a day but only gets 300 hungry customers.
Why is it going so wrong? Well, Nissan’s model lineup is as fresh as last week’s bread. The Leaf was once an electric pioneer, but now it’s a museum piece compared to the flashy competition from China. The Ariya, meant to turn things around, is a bit like a B-movie: it tries hard, but nobody’s watching. And don’t even get me started on the Micra, which simply vanished without a worthy successor. Rivals like Toyota and Honda have had the hybrid market in a chokehold for years, while Nissan won’t roll out a hybrid until 2027. That’s like showing up to a party when the cake’s gone and everyone’s heading home.
Then there’s the factories. Seven of the seventeen global production lines are being shut down, a decision that hits like a guillotine. This follows earlier closures, like the one in Barcelona in 2020, where 3,000 workers already got the boot. The Spanish government begged Nissan to reconsider, but it was like talking to a brick wall. Now, another 20,000 jobs are being slashed – that’s 15% of the total workforce. Two-thirds of those cuts hit production, the rest sales, admin, and research. It’s a bloodbath, and CEO Ivan Espinosa, who’s only just taken the helm, seems determined to swing a blunt axe.
But Nissan has a plan, they say. And to be fair, it doesn’t sound half bad – on paper, at least. They want to cut their cars’ complexity by 70% by using fewer parts and slashing the number of platforms from 13 to 7. That should shrink new model development time from a sluggish 52 weeks to a slightly less sluggish 37 weeks. They’re also going market-specific: Europe will focus on compact B- and C-segment cars, like a new Micra sharing tech with the Renault 5 E-Tech. Plus, a deal with Renault and Mitsubishi to share costs is a smart move, because you don’t survive alone in this jungle.
Yet, a dark cloud looms over it all. US import tariffs of 25% are looming, hitting Nissan hard since many of their US-market cars are built in Mexico. Then there’s the Chinese competition, with brands like BYD and NIO churning out cheaper, flashier, and often better cars. Analysts warn that Nissan’s price-sensitive customers won’t stomach higher prices to offset those tariffs. It’s like running a marathon with a backpack full of rocks.
Is there still hope? Maybe. Nissan has a history of gritty comebacks. The Qashqai and Juke are still loved in Europe, and an affordable electric car based on the Renault Twingo is coming in 2026, priced under 20,000 euros. That sounds like a car people might actually want to buy. Plus, Nissan has a hefty cash reserve and a new boss promising quicker decisions. But it’s a race against time. Two executives recently whispered that the brand has just 12 to 14 months to survive. Not exactly a comforting thought.
So, what’s the takeaway? The car industry is ruthless, and even giants like Nissan can stumble. For car enthusiasts, this is a wake-up call: want to snag a Nissan before it possibly fades into obscurity? Head over to our marketplace at https://volty.be/nl/buy/cars/overview/, where you can search and buy a wide range of cars. Who knows, you might score a Qashqai or a Leaf for a steal before they become collector’s items.
