How Nissan wants to navigate Trump’s tariffs and make that EV great again

After the keynote speech, Nissan led us into the courtyard to see a series of vehicles from various developmental states (not pictured). Most interesting was the sturdy electric SUV that exudes the X-Terra vibe. Light Off Road will begin production in 2027 in Canton, Mississippi. Escape the latest tariffs It was announced by President Trump.

Nissan sees this vehicle as a way to differentiate it from its competitors. “You’ve seen an outdoor EV, but it’s not what you’re seeing today. The reason you do that is because the market gets so fast and crowded. We want to take part in a more unique offer,” says Espinosa.

However, there may be good reasons why certain categories of EVs are “not what we’re seeing today,” and it’s certainly admirable to try something different, but it’s always unrecommended. If Espinosa’s strategy arises, you’ll know immediately. Anyway, this canton-built sturdy electric SUV will be defeated scout Offering to the market and going head-on Rivian’s R2. That is, if everything goes according to the plans of both car manufacturers.

Nissan has big plans, and on paper there is an interesting lineup that appears to give auto firepower to become a real competitor in the electric vehicle market. To realize these proposals, leadership willing to move forward actively, long and harshly looking at the current situation and making dramatic changes.

New bosses, old lineup

As the new Nissan CEO explains Honda’s current situation, Espinosa’s voice is frustrating. “The fact that the integrated talk has stopped doesn’t mean we’re not working with them,” Espinosa said.

“The future of the industry is extremely challenging and it’s clear that the name of the game is a way to build an efficient partnership that adds value to your company,” Espinosa told reporters at a roundtable event. For automakers, sharing platforms reduces the financial commitment of both parties. Procurement of parts also benefits. Suppliers always prioritize customers who place the biggest orders. If the part is used in multiple vehicles of multiple brands, it is built faster and at a lower cost.

It is an economy of scale in action. problem? Nissan’s size has dropped dramatically. In 2018, the automaker produced 5.8 million units a year. The number has now fallen to 3.5 million units. Its US factory is now fully utilized, and its lineup has been slowly refreshing over the past few years, but in some cases it has fallen behind its competitors. Recent moves to fix the situation have their own issues.

Ariya has been a great reboot of the automaker’s electric car strategy, but the vehicle itself hasn’t taken off like EVs from other automakers. Nissan’s North America Chief Planning Officer, Ponz Pandikuthira, tells Wired how to timing the launch of a vehicle. Introduced, Tesla began cutting prices to drive away new competitors in the market. Suddenly, Aliya was 20% more expensive than the similarly equipped Tesla.