Nissan announced that it would ramp up U.S. production of the Rogue in response to President Trump’s tariffs on imported vehicles, but the automaker’s global operations are taking a harder hit. The company said it plans to slash around 20,000 jobs worldwide as part of its turnaround plan under its fresh CEO, Ivan Espinosa.
Most of the cuts will happen in Japan and other global markets. Nissan already planned to cut around 9,000 workers, but this shift adds another 10,000 to the layoff pile. Espinosa will soon announce Nissan’s financial performance for the first quarter of 2025, and it’s expected to show a loss of up to $5 billion.
Nissan’s former CEO, Makoto Uchida, stepped down in late March after several years of restructuring and turnaround efforts following Carlos Ghosn’s departure. While Ghosn’s actions created a huge global controversy, Nissan’s sales have tumbled after he escaped from Japan into exile in Lebanon.
The automaker said it wants to achieve profitability at a sales volume of 3.5 million units globally, which would be an increase over 2024’s numbers but a reasonable step forward.
In addition to job cuts, Nissan will cut global production output by up to a fifth, which would help reduce costs and help it hit its targeted sales numbers. It has also reportedly canceled plans for a new electric vehicle (EV) battery factory in Japan.
[Images: Nissan]
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