Nissan Motor Co. is shuttering two global design centers by the end of FY 2025 as part of its plan to cut costs over the next two years, the company announced in a Sept. 16 press release.
The automaker said the realignment of its global design operations will close sites in San Diego, California, and São Paulo, Brazil, per the release. Staffing will be downsized at the company’s design centers in London and Atsugi and Tokyo, Japan, which will remain open as will its design hubs in Los Angeles and Shanghai, China.
Nissan said the move will better align resources, allow for deeper collaboration, and enable faster decision-making to provide more agility in responding to market shifts.
Nissan did not disclose the number of workers affected by the San Diego and Brazil site closures. However, some positions in San Diego will be relocated to the company’s design studio in Los Angeles, a spokesperson told Automotive Dive in an email.
“We are reshaping our operations into five agile hubs that harness new technologies and creative energy to deliver faster, smarter, and more connected design solutions, ensuring resilience and relevance in a rapidly evolving industry,” Alfonso Albaisa, corporate executive of global design, Nissan Motor Co. said in the release.
In May, the automaker released details of the Re:Nissan recovery plan, which called for cutting 20,000 jobs and shuttering and consolidating operations to rapidly reduce expenses amid global economic uncertainty. The plan aims to generate $3.4 billion in savings to return Nissan to profitability by FY2026.
