Carmaker ‘on brink of collapse’ reveals 3 new EVs with...

Carmaker ‘on brink of collapse’ reveals 3 new EVs with ‘pioneer’ model as boss vows to save UK factory ‘facing closure’

Published on March 27, 2025 at 02:28 PM

A CARMAKER “on the brink of collapse” has revealed three news EVs as its boss vows to save its UK factory from closure.

Nissan has today announced the arrival of the all-new Leaf EV and a revived Micra model – with a shiny new battery-powered supermini.

White Nissan SUV parked in front of a Nissan dealership. — Nissan is set on keeping its plant in the UK

Row of Nissan Juke cars parked in a lot. — The Nissan Juke cars will be upgraded in the Sunderland plant

Car bodies on an automated conveyor belt in a factory. — The Qashqai and Juke cars in production

Also launching next year is the Qashqai – one of the UK's best-selling cars – and a new Juke, which will be upgraded in the Sunderland plant that's future remained uncertain until yesterday.

After rumours swirled about the future of Nissan's UK factory, the car brand's boss FranÃ§ois Bailly said he was committed to maintaining the Sunderland factory, calling it the “jewel of Europe”.

But while Nissan's head is set on keeping the UK based production unit, he said the country's ZEV mandate is making “life very difficult”.

The car brand‘s performance officer Guillaume Cartier told Autocar: “We still have 10 years, so we need what we call two legs or a dual strategy: what are the cars that we can extend, and what are the technologies that we want to invest in.”;

Nissan is currently facing losses of $534 million by the end of March – with the car marque's struggles first appearing in mid-2024.

Earlier this month the company even called time on its former CEO Makoto Uchida.

The move was joined by a number of other top-level management changes, with Espinosa to take the reins from April 1.

Yasushi Kimura, chair of Nissan's board of directors, said: “Given the industry wide challenges and Nissan's performance, we believe it is necessary as well as appropriate to change the top management team.”

IN TURMOIL

Indeed, signs of trouble began in May when they asked dealers in the US to begin selling cars at a loss.

Newsthen broke that Nissan andHondawere to expand their earlier partnership to work on electric vehicles and software alongside fellow manufacturer Mitsubishi.

But in November, they dropped the bombshell announcement that some 9,000 employees globally would be laid off, along with the reduction of production.

By the end of 2024, some company executives had disclosed that Nissan had 12 to 14 months left to survive – a frightening prospect, with their best chance of continuing being a merger with another company.

In December, the CEOs of Nissan and Honda met for official talks and announced they would officially look to merge.

But these talks deteriorated in the new year as Nissan withdrew from the deal, following Honda's proposal to make them a subsidiary.

Iconic car brand ‘on brink of collapse’ as ‘bosses warn company has just 12 months to survive’

ONE of the world's largest car manufacturers reportedly could go under within 12 months if it doesn't receive support.

The firm is looking to sure up its future by growing a partnership with its former rival after the reported collapse of a three-way alliance.

Nissan was one-third of a strategic deal with Mitsubishi and Renault to share financial backing and expand all their markets in Europe, Japan and the US.

The agreement dates back to 1999 but now could be on the brink of collapse.

A report from the Financial Times cites two anonymous “senior officials” at the firm suggesting that Renault is looking to reduce its financial stake in the Japanese carmaker.

The withdrawal of funding means, according to the same sources, that Nissan could require support from the Japanese or US governments within the next year just in order to stay afloat.

One of the officials said: “We have 12 or 14 months to survive.

“This is going to be tough.

“And in the end, we need Japan and the US to be generating cash.”

Nissan has already cut 9,000 jobs across its global operation, while its CEO Makoto Uchida took a 50% pay cut in an economy drive.

The business is working through an emergency recovery plan, which will see it cut output by 20% and slash around £2bn in costs.

Its struggles have partly been blamed on the lack of a strong hybrid lineup, which has helped rivals like Toyota and Honda through the global collapse in EV sales.

In a press conference earlier this month, Mr Uchida said: “This has been a lesson learned and we have not been able to keep up with the times.

“We weren’t able to foresee that hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids would be so popular.”

Fresh start

But the tide could finally be turning for Nissan as its new boss announced just yesterday that talks of a merger with its major rival are back on.

Nissan'sincoming CEOIvan Espinosahas said the company remains “very open” to partnerships just weeks after itsmerger talks with competitor Honda spectacularly collapsed.

The company's chief performance officer, Guillaume Cartier, also said Nissan had “never stopped” talking with its Japanese rival, confirming that the two were still actively working towards a potential partnership.

Espinosa, who will officially become chief on April 1, has said his company faces up to five simultaneous crises, including a damaged brand, low morale, and the execution of a sweeping turnaround.

The 46-year-old appears to be open to partnerships, saying there were “no taboos” around the idea of having future partners help plug the gaps in its range of motors.

Speaking at a company event, he said: “The way we are seeing partners is broadly, not only thinking about cars but how to push Nissan into the next era of technology”;.