Nissan CEO Vows Faster Launches After Honda Merger Collapse As Tesla, BYD Race Ahead Amid Worst Crisis In 25 Years

Nissan Motor is overhauling its aging lineup and accelerating product launches as it struggles with its worst financial crisis in a quarter century. 

The Japanese automaker aims to cut development times for new models to 37 months from more than 50, part of efforts to regain competitiveness in the global market, Bloomberg reported, citing an interview with CEO Ivan Espinosa at the company's Yokohama headquarters.

Espinosa, who took charge in March, said Nissan is“shortening the development process significantly” to react more quickly to shifting trends. He noted efforts begun 18 months ago are bearing fruit, with lessons drawn from competitive markets like China, where EV makers such as BYD dominate.

Nissan has refreshed its Leaf EV and a kei mini-car, with new versions of the Elgrand minivan and Kicks crossover on the way. 

Once an EV pioneer with the Leaf, the world's first mass-market electric car, Nissan has since lost ground to Tesla and Chinese rivals. Espinosa said the company is determined to recover lost momentum by quickening its release cycle.

In the U.S., the company will launch a redesigned Sentra later this year and a plug-in hybrid Rogue in early 2026. July sales in China rose 22% on demand for the N7 electric sedan, while U.S. sales slipped despite resilient overall demand under Trump's tariffs.

Meanwhile, talks to merge with Honda collapsed, and Nissan's partnership with key shareholder Renault remains complicated, leaving the company to pursue a turnaround on its own. In May, it announced plans to cut 20,000 jobs and close seven factories worldwide.

The carmaker faces 180 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in projected operating losses for April–September and more than 5 billion dollars in debt maturing next year. It is targeting over 1 trillion yen from debt and asset sales, having raised 850 billion yen so far. 

Potential measures include the reported sale of its Yokohama headquarters to KKR for approximately 90 billion yen and the end of production at its Oppama plant by March 2028.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Nissan was 'bullish' amid 'normal' message volume

Nissan's U.S.-listed stock has declined 20% so far in 2025.

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