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Nissan CEO breaks down how it plans to fight back against Chinese companies, after second outlook cut in months

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The strategic shift follows a second reduction to the company's global sales target for the fiscal year ending March 2027, which is now set between 2.97 million and 3 million vehicles. Slower demand in China and an accelerating industry pivot to new energy vehicles drove the downgrade, though full-year operating profit guidance remains unchanged. To protect margins, Nissan has already realized 365 billion yen in savings under an active turnaround plan that includes trimming its global workforce by 15%.

Key points

  • Expanding exports of vehicles engineered in China allows the automaker to capitalize on l…: Expanding exports of vehicles engineered in China allows the automaker to capitalize on local technology, faster development cycles, and lower production costs.
  • Ongoing corporate restructuring continues with 365 billion yen in achieved savings alongs…: Ongoing corporate restructuring continues with 365 billion yen in achieved savings alongside plans to reduce the global manufacturing footprint.
  • Management preserved its full-year operating profit and net cash guidance despite making…: Management preserved its full-year operating profit and net cash guidance despite making two consecutive cuts to medium-term sales projections.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Nissan Motor plans to expand exports of vehicles developed in China to help compete against Chinese rivals globally, CEO Ivan Espinosa told CNBC on Wednesday.

The export push comes as intensifying competition in the world's largest auto market forced the company to cut its annual sales forecast for a second time in months.

Espinosa said Nissan would rapidly increase its exports of China-developed vehicles from two models to five, targeting 12 regional market clusters in the "very near term."

The Japanese automaker is responding to intensifying competition in China by developing vehicles specifically for Chinese consumers, using local technology, lower costs and faster development processes, he said.

"We can defend ourselves from these very aggressive players by using exactly the same elements that they have: speed, cost, and good technology," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

China headwinds

Nissan faces weakening demand and an accelerating shift toward electric vehicles in China, even as its restructuring efforts show progress in the U.S. and Japan.

On Wednesday, Nissan cut its global sales outlook for the fiscal year ending March 2027 to between…

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