Nissan to shut design studios in US and Brazil and downsize London, Japan operations

[BENGALURU] Nissan Motor will close its design centres in California and Sao Paulo and scale back operations in London and Japan as part of a realignment of its global design organisation, the company said on Tuesday (Sep 16).

The Japanese automaker said that the restructuring, which will be completed by the end of fiscal 2025, is aimed at streamlining its design operations.

The changes, part of its broader “Re:Nissan” plan, will consolidate its design organisation into five hubs: Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Japan’s Atsugi.

Nissan said that its Los Angeles “Studio Six” will become its primary US design hub, while London will continue to support the automaker’s Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions in collaboration with partner Renault.

The company did not disclose how many jobs would be affected.

Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa, who took over in April, in May unveiled the “Re:Nissan” turnaround plan to restore profitability. It included measures such as cutting global production capacity to 2.5 million vehicles from 3.5 million and manufacturing sites to 10 from 17 by fiscal 2027. REUTERS