Nissan Motor plans to cut about 900 jobs in Europe—roughly 10% of its regional workforce—as part of a broader restructuring effort, the Financial Times reported. The Japanese automaker’s moves involve combining two production lines at a factory in Sunderland, UK, downsizing a parts warehouse in Barcelona and reorganizing distribution operations in its Nordic markets.
The workforce reduction will impact office and warehouse roles in the UK, Spain and France, but the Sunderland plant will not lose any jobs.
However, the Financial Times reported that Nissan held discussions with Chinese automakers about making vehicles in Sunderland, where the site operates at about 50% capacity. Ford, Stellantis and Volkswagen have reportedly also explored similar arrangements to fill unused capacity at plants across the region following a flow of Chinese brands into European markets.
Last year, Nissan revealed its Re:Nissan recovery plan, which aims to consolidate global vehicle production plants from 17 to 10 and cut 20,000 jobs by fiscal year 2027. Efforts in the U.S. include focusing on the hybrid market and revitalizing the Infiniti brand.
A Nissan spokesperson told Automotive Design & Manufacturing that the recovery plan currently does not intend to impact any U.S. manufacturing operations.
Nissan builds vehicles at plants in Smyrna, Tennessee, and Canton, Mississippi. It also makes engines at a facility in Decherd, Tennessee. The automaker’s U.S. production sites employ about 22,000 workers, including over 17,000 manufacturers.
