Nissan (NSANY) has some ambitious plans, but despite its promises to expand its use of futuristic, new-age technology like hybrids, plug-ins and fully electric cars, a more pressing issue affecting its reputation for making quality cars has been addressed.
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During a lengthy livestreamed press conference on March 25 in Atsugi, Japan, Nissan lined up an ambitious set of plans for the next three years to remain competitive amidst a tougher automotive market.
Key to what the automaker calls "The Arc" is the launch of 30 models, including 16 hybrids and electric vehicles by 2027
The news of new cars, especially the promise of 30 cars in three years sounds very ambitious, but for company like Nissan, new models is key for its reputation in a very key market: the United States. According to remarks by Nissan President and CEO Makoto Uchida, stateside buyers should expect a major shift very soon.
"In the U.S., where demands continue to focus on SUVs and pickups, we will refresh 78% of our Nissan brand model lineup and offer seven all-new models. To address the growing hybrid market, we intend to launch e-Power [hybrid cars] and PHEV models," said Uchida.
Nissan
Though Nissan has been attempting to solve this issue by introducing new models like the Z sports car and the Frontier pickup as recent as 2022, many of the cars on its lineup are aging past the normal automotive life cycle. Typically, automakers like Honda introduce a "totally new" version of a popular model every five model years, with an update to the styling by the third.
For many products on the the Yokohama-based automaker's lineup, such a schedule has not materialized for its popular models.
Nissan introduced a new version of its popular Kicks crossover SUV very recently, but the current model sitting in Nissan showrooms has been in production since 2018.
The current model of the popular Altima sedan has also been in production since 2018, but its main rivals - the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry have undergone an entire evolution during the current Altima's lifespan.
Make matters worse, before Nissan blessed the pickup truck market with the a new Frontier pickup truck in 2021, the previous model was in production for nearly 17 years, while the GT-R sports car has been in production in its current form for nearly 15 years.
Nissan
Though some may interpret the lack of desire to introduce updated models as a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," attitude, contemporary auto personalities disagree and attribute this lack of desire to other issues and major shortcomings with selected Nissan cars.
Brian Reider, or 'Mr. Regular' of popular YouTube auto review channel Regular Car Reviews said in a review of a Nissan Rogue that the crossover SUV is proof that "Nissan is circling the toilet."
"[Nissan] is in trouble," he said in his remarks. "Out of all the Japanese manufacturers, they're the worst. They kick out garbage products for people who don't know how to do research."
"[The Nissan Rogue] is a bad car from tip to tail. The transmission is bad, the engine is bad, the wiring is bad, the trim is bad; it's assembled by drunks. I'd would rather you buy a frickin' Ford than this."
Nissan
Before the March 25 press conference, Nissan executives were very aware that it had a problem on its hands with an aging lineup of cars. Former Nissan global COO Ashcan Gupta explained in a 2020 interview with British automotive magazine Car that the automaker was in the quagmire because it tried to do so much in so little time.
"We went too fast to expand in the world, anticipating that global auto markets would grow and that our sales performance would be excellent. Both those things didn’t happen," Gupta told Car. “When rubber touches the ground you smell the smoke. As a result, we were landed with aged vehicles, a huge line-up which we could not maintain. It’s all based on investment: if you don’t have the revenue you can’t have [new] cars. It’s a vicious cycle.”
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At the current moment, Nissan seems to be dead-straight on preparing for future growth that is partially driven by electrified vehicles.
It expects its EVs and hybrids to account for 40% of its global sales, and has a partnership with Honda to help streamline certain aspects of bringing EVs to market and to better compete against the looming threat of cheaper products from Chinese automakers.
“Emerging players are very aggressive and are making inroads at incredible speed,” Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said during the partnership's announcement on March 15. “We cannot win the competition as long as we stick to conventional wisdom and a traditional approach.”
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