A new strategic plan is leading in the electric age

Nissan has created a new business plan and strategy – called “The Arc” – through which the Japanese automaker aims to increase its competitiveness and profitability. A new product portfolio that aims to achieve this is driving electrification, introducing new development and production methods and leveraging established and new partnerships to achieve the Ambition 2030 vision, Nissan said in a recent statement.

The plan is therefore seen as a bridge between the NEXT transformation plan for the fiscal year 2020 to 2023 and Nissan Ambition 2030, the company’s long-term vision. The new plan is divided into short and medium terms for the fiscal years 2024 to 2026 with medium term measures to be implemented by 2030.

Under the two-part plan, Nissan will first act to ensure volume growth through a tailored regional strategy and prepare for a rapid transition to electric vehicles. The goal is to increase car sales by one million units by 2026 and thereby increase the volume to more than 6 percent. In 2023, the Japanese sold 3.4 million luxury cars worldwide.

The increase in car sales by a good third is the intention to pave the way for the second part of the plan, which aims to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and establish long-term profitable growth.

16 electric vehicles by 2026

Nissan plans to launch 30 new models worldwide in the next three years, 16 of which will be electrified and 14 of which will be combustion engines, to meet the various needs of customers in various markets and regions where the speed of electricity supply it varies a lot. Nissan then plans to have brought a total of 34 electric models to the market by 2030 to cover all segments. In the model mix, Nissan expects an electric vehicle share of 40 percent by 2026 and 60 percent by 2030.

Product innovation will be supported by new development and manufacturing methods that aim to make electric vehicles more affordable and more profitable. By developing electric vehicles in what Nissan calls “families,” integrating electric power, using next-generation seasonal production, improving group availability and battery innovation, Nissan aims to reduce the cost of next-generation vehicles compared to the current model. Ariya crossover for 30. percent. Nissan aims to achieve cost parity between electric vehicles and combustion engine models by fiscal year 2030.

In the area of ​​car development alone, Nissan said in its statement, the costs of the next cars – those made on the basis of the main family car – can be reduced by 50 percent, the difference in trim parts by 70 percent, while at the same time reducing the time of leading to the development of the car Development can be shortened to four months. The introduction of modular production will also shorten the production line, reducing the production time per vehicle by 20 percent.

Under the Arc plan, more plants in Japan and abroad will adopt this concept, called the Nissan Intelligent Factory, and the Oppama and Nissan Motor Kyushu plants in Japan, the Sunderland plant in the UK and the Canton and Smyrna plants in the US are due to start . introduction between 2026 and 2030. Meanwhile, the Sunderland EV36Zero production method in the UK will be expanded to include plants such as Canton, Decherd and Smyrna in the US and Tochigi and Kyushu in Japan between 2025 and 2028.

New battery technologies for tomorrow’s electric vehicles

According to the new plan, Nissan will also offer improved batteries – NCM, LFP and solid state – to provide a variety of electric vehicles to meet the different needs of customers. For NCM batteries, the goal is to reduce fast charging time by 50 percent and increase energy density by 50 percent compared to Ariya. The LFP batteries, which will be designed and manufactured in Japan, are expected to reduce costs by 30 percent compared to the Sakura mini electric car.

The first electric vehicles with improved NCM, LFP and solid-state batteries are scheduled to hit the market in fiscal year 2028. Nissan wants to build a production capacity of 135 gigawatt hours for its production of electric vehicle batteries.

Nissan will continue to strengthen its strategic partnerships to remain competitive and provide a global portfolio of products and technologies, including alliances with Renault and Mitsubishi in Europe, LATAM, ASEAN and India. In China, Nissan aims to make full use of its domestic capabilities to meet the needs of China and beyond; New partnerships should be explored, especially with Japan and the USA.

Source: Nissan – press release dated March 25, 2024