"China is formulating industry standards, and Nissan will learn from China's model." According to Nikkei Asia on June 12th, Takumi Nissan's CEO, Iván Espinosas, said that in order to shorten the development time of new models, Nissan will learn from Chinese automotive manufacturers' use of AI technology, and then promote this experience globally.
Due to the slow progress in developing new models, Nissan has difficulty launching competitive and popular models, resulting in declining profits. After Espinosa took on the role of Nissan's CEO in April 2025, he plans to reduce the development cycle to less than 30 months. Nissan is expected to launch a new generation of Skyline models this winter, with the development cycle being shortened from the previous generation's 55 months to 26 months.
Espiñosa said: "This is largely thanks to AI technology, as well as new tools and more digital tools used during the design, testing, and manufacturing stages."
According to reports, it takes about two years for Chinese automakers to develop new models. Nissan has fully utilized the experience of its Chinese joint venture partners. Nissan plans to apply similar processes to 90% of vehicle development work by the fiscal year 2026. A faster development process will enable the company to respond more flexibly to changes in consumer preferences and government policies.
Esposa said, "In terms of technology, cost competitiveness, and development speed, China is leading the future industry standards." He stated that Nissan's next strategy is to "learn from China and promote Chinese experience globally."
Nissan Motor Company CEO, Fernando Alonso
In the 2025 fiscal year, Nissan's global sales totaled 3.15 million units, a decrease of 6% compared to the previous year. In Japan, Nissan's sales were only 400,000 units, a decrease of 13% year-on-year. From January to May this year, Nissan's sales reached the lowest level since 1993 when comparable data became available.
Espiñosa believes that the decline in sales is not only due to the car product line, but also related to issues with Nissan's communication and brand image.
Nissan's goal is to increase annual sales in the Japanese market to 550,000 units by the fiscal year 2030. This means that Nissan's sales need to grow by 40% over the next five years. Currently, the company hopes to turn around its declining situation through a series of new models, planning to launch seven new vehicles within about a year. Esposito said that this will represent the fastest pace of new model launches in Nissan's history.
In addition, Nissan announced in April that it plans to equip 90% of its models with AI-driven autonomous driving systems, and it sees AI and intelligent automotive software as key drivers of growth. Nikkei Asia noted that Chinese automakers and the American company Tesla are currently leading in this field.
Reuters previously reported that Chinese automakers, which are dominant in the electric vehicle sector, are increasing their investment in AI, rapidly moving towards a next-generation disruptive transformation. The BBC also noted that Chinese companies are advancing at an astonishing pace in areas such as automotive design and software development. Foreign brands that once dominated the Chinese market now find it difficult to keep up with the pace of Chinese enterprises.
Automotive analysts Bill Russo believe that the “biggest mistake of developed countries is to assume that this transformation is solely about electric vehicles. In fact, it’s a contest to see who will lead the next generation of mobile transportation technologies.”
François Lhuillier, Secretary-General of the International Automobile Manufacturers' Association (IAMA), said that Chinese automobile manufacturers now possess advanced technology and are disrupting the global automotive industry. "There is no transition phase, this is a revolution."
