Nissan to reduce vehicle development cycle from over 50 months to 37 months.
Refreshed Leaf, new Kicks and Sentra among updated models planned through 2026.
CEO Espinosa leads turnaround amid projected $1.2B loss and $5B debt obligations.
Nissan plans to reduce the time it takes to develop and launch new vehicles, in the hopes of reversing a prolonged financial downturn and competing more effectively with faster-moving rivals.
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CEO Ivan Espinosa said the company will shorten development timelines from over 50 months to 37 months. This will help streamline internal processes and improve the automaker’s ability to respond to shifting consumer preferences and market conditions.
“We are entering now the phase in which we start rolling out a lot of new cars,” Espinosa said in an interview on Sept. 10. He added that the company is “shortening the development process significantly” to improve product cadence.
Nissan’s updated vehicle roadmap includes a fully revamped Leaf and an upgraded version of one of its kei mini cars. Upcoming releases also include new versions of the Elgrand minivan and Kicks subcompact crossover in other markets. In North America, a redesigned Sentra sedan is expected by the end of 2025, with a plug-in hybrid version of the Rogue SUV planned for early 2026.
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Development acceleration efforts began 18 months ago and incorporate practices observed in China, where local electric vehicle makers such as BYD have reduced launch times to as little as 24 months. Nissan has seen a 22 % sales increase in China in July, driven by demand for the N7 electric sedan.
Meanwhile, the company continues to face substantial financial pressure. In July, it projected an operating loss of ¥180 billion (approximately $1.2 billion) for the April–September 2025 period. Nissan is managing more than $5 billion in debt obligations due in 2026 and has raised ¥850 billion through debt issuance and asset sales.
The purge continues at Nissan, with the likely closure of two plants in Mexico.
Espinosa took over as CEO in March 2025 following a period overseeing product planning and global strategy. He now leads the company at a time when merger talks with Honda have collapsed and its alliance with shareholder Renault remains strained.
The company previously announced plans in May to cut 20,000 jobs and shut down seven factories globally. The automaker also plans to halt production at its Oppama plant in Japan by March 2028. Nissan is also evaluating the sale of non-core assets, including its headquarters in Yokohama. Bloomberg News reported that a unit of KKR & Co. has offered approximately ¥90 billion for the building.
Espinosa said the focus remains on improving execution. “The only way of becoming better at coping with these things is to be quick, and this is what we are working on now,” he said.
Source: Automotive News
