Nissan’s push to get back to prosperity continues to take it through tough times. The company apparently is preparing to layoff 10,000 workers — in addition to the 9,000 it’s already sent packing. This news comes as it prepares to release a quarterly earnings loss in the billions of dollars.
New Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said he needs “time to reflect” before announcing his own turnaround strategy — time’s up.
The automaker is working to get leaner and more efficient as it deals with falling sales in two of its biggest markets: China and the U.S. Nissan already announced 9,000 layoffs, but now plans to double that — about 15% of its global workforce, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
The news comes a day before Nissan’s quarterly earnings report, which is expected to reveal a lost between $4.75 billion and $5.1 billion, according to a warning from the automaker. The losses are tied to impairment charges, Reuters reported.
Big cuts
The move to cut another 10,000 workers comes on the heels of two noteworthy moves in recent weeks: the decision back out of plans to build a $1.1 billion plant for EV batteries in Japan and the installation of Ivan Espinosa as CEO replacing Makoto Uchida, who attempted to guide the company through this restructuring.
The 2026 Nissan Leaf is one of a mix of electrified models in the works.
Espinosa, who was Nissan’s chief planning officer before moving up, said he didn’t plan to make big changes quickly, needing “time to reflect,” on what his next moves should be.
“We’re going to be looking at the whole system,” he said at the time of his appointment, stressing that his goal will be to bring “stability and growth back to the company.”
Uchida wasn’t the only executive who paid for the company’s poor performance, 20% of Nissan’s top executives were sent packing in February. This is on top of Uchida’s earlier plans to cut 9,000 jobs and shrink global capacity by 20%. To that end, the company plans shutter its Thailand plant as well as two other unnamed locations, Reuters reported.
More Nissan News
- Losses Mounting, Nissan Announces Extensive Cuts to Jobs, Plants, Production
- Honda Open to Resuming Merger Talks with Nissan
- Nissan Names “Real Car Guy” as New CEO
Improving efficiency
In addition to cutting the corporate workforce, the company’s also been looking for ways to become leaner and more efficient. It looked to form a partnership with Honda, but that effort fell short. However, it has found another option.
Nissan’s plant in Thailand will be the first to close. However, two other unnamed plants will be shuttered in the near term as well.
It’s working with alliance partner Mitsubishi, which will use the next-generation Nissan Leaf as the bases for a new EV for its lineup. The two Japanese automakers are two-thirds of an alliance with French automaker Renault so the two working together at a time when both are struggling makes sense.
More products
Espinosa’s arrival — he’s a “car guy” — is expected to bring with it a renewed focus on new products. However, a push for new vehicles has already been underway and Nissan is looking backward to go forward, at least in the U.S.
“If I could bring a car tomorrow, that would be Xterra,” Nissan Americas Chairperson Christian Meunier told Automotive News recently. “We’re working on it. We’ll find a way.”
Nissan North America chief Christian Meunier suggested the company would bring back the Xterra.
Meunier went on to say a new Xterra would appeal to a variety of potential buyers, ranging from those who want a stylish, affordable midsize SUV to those who want a less-expensive-than-a-Toyota-4Runner off-road-ready ute.
The flame was lit for those looking for a new off-road ready vehicle when it rolled out an all-new Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid pickup at Auto Shanghai 2025. The five-seat, dual-purpose pickup has been designed for families who seek a vehicle that can comfortably and efficiently support their daily urban driving as well as weekend adventures beyond the city limits, Nissan noted.
While the truck is designed for the Chinese market, there’s nothing that would limit a similar vehicle from being developed for the North American market. In fact, the company adjusted its production plans for the U.S., specifically its plant in Canton, Mississippi.
By the end of 2028, the company will introduce nearly a dozen new or refreshed vehicles, including next-generation EVs and hybrid, plus Infiniti models.
By the end of 2027, “an all-new Nissan EV is scheduled to commence production at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi plant in the U.S. The all-new model will be an adventure-focused SUV. It will be joined in FY28 by a luxury Infiniti EV SUV (inspired by the Vision QXe concept) that pairs the brand’s latest Artistry in Motion design language with a suite of technology features.”
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