After a speech, Nissan led us to a courtyard to watch (but not photograph) a series of vehicles in various development states. The most intriguing was a robust electric SUV that was the resulting X-Terra vibrations. The Light-Offrode will start production in the canton of Nissan, Mississippi, in 2027, skillfully escape the latest prices Announced by President Trump.
Nissan considers the vehicle as a means of differentiating themselves from competitors. “You have seen an outdoor EV, which is not what you see today. The reason to do so is to be different, because the market will become very crowded very quickly. We want to come with a more unique offer, ”explains Espinosa.
Sometimes, however, there is a good reason why a certain category of EV “is not what you see today”, and even if trying to be different is certainly laudable, it is not always advised. We will see early if the Espinosa strategy takes place. Anyway, this robust electric SUV built in the canton will beat Scout Offerings at the market and will compete with the R2 of Rivian. In other words, if everything goes as planned for the two car manufacturers.
Nissan has major projects and an intriguing range to come which, on paper, seems to give it automotive fire power as a real competitor on the electrified vehicle market. Competition of these proposals requires leadership willing to advance aggressively while carefully examining the current situation and by providing drastic changes.
New boss, old range
There is a shade of frustration in Espinosa’s voice while Nissan’s new CEO explains the current situation with Honda. “The fact that the integration talks stop does not mean that we do not collaborate with them,” said Espinosa.
“The future of the industry will be very difficult, and it is clear that the name of the game is the way you create effective partnerships that add value to your business,” Espinosa told journalists during a round table. For car manufacturers, the sharing of a platform reduces the financial commitment of the two parties. The supply of parts also benefits. Suppliers will always favor the customer who plays the largest order. If a part is used in several vehicles on several brands, it is built earlier and at a lower cost.
These are the economies of scale in action. The problem? The Nissan scale has dropped spectacularly. In 2018, the car manufacturer produced 5.8 million units per year. Currently, this number fell to 3.5 million units. Its American factories are currently underused, and its range, while slowly undergoing a refreshment in recent years, in some cases still lagging against competitors. Recent measures to rectify the situation came with their own problems.
Ariya was a good restart of the electric vehicle vehicle strategy, but the vehicle itself has not taken off like the EV offers from other car manufacturers. Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan planning director for North America, told Wired how timing harms the launch of the vehicle. As it was introduced, Tesla began to reduce prices to ward off new competitors on the market, and suddenly Ariya was 20% more expensive than Tesla equipped in the same way.
