Nissan's AI Comeback: The Three-Pillar Strategy

Automotive journalist Yumi Kawabata breaks down Nissan’s three-pillar strategy under CEO Espinosa, evaluating the accelerating reform pace and Nissan’s early-mover advantage in shifting design and development to China.

• Target: AI in 90% of vehicles by 2030, rolling out from entry-level models first
• AI Defined Vehicle roadmap: experience version in 2027, full deployment in key models from 2028
• Development cycle cut from 50 months to 30 months; China-specific models targeting 24 months
• Nissan is the fastest Japanese automaker to establish a design and development base in China — N7 performing well, with N6 and N8 expansions planned
• Portfolio reform — fewer nameplates, higher volumes — is the key to fixing the profit structure
• Deepening AI and autonomous driving partnerships with NVIDIA and Waymo; external collaboration prioritized over in-house-first approach
• Core concept: turn 90 minutes of daily commute time into value, built around an in-car AI partner experience
• Legacy overinvestment in factories under the Ghosn era has been written off; now finally in growth-strategy mode after returning to profitability

2026-04-20 · Watch on YouTube

Japanese page: 日産AI戦略、逆襲の条件