Nissan on the ropes

[George K]

https://www.motor1.com/news/742467/nissan-12-to-14-months-left-to-survive/

Things aren't looking good at Nissan. Dealers are selling cars at a loss, production has slowed, and more recently, the company cut thousands of jobs and sold a third of its stake in Mitsubishi. But it all may have been too little too late.

A new report suggests that the automaker's days are numbered. In an interview with the Financial Times, two unnamed Nissan executives said the company has "12 to 14 months to survive." "This is going to be tough. And in the end, we need Japan and the US to be generating cash," they said.

The company is reportedly looking for a new long-term investor, such as a bank or large insurance group, to replace some of Renault's equity holdings. The company also hasn't ruled out the possibility of longtime rival Honda taking a majority stake in the company, saying "all options" are on the table. Nissan recently signed a partnership with Honda (and Mitsubishi) for long-term EV development.

Renault is even considering selling a portion of its shares to Honda. The French automaker is reportedly looking to restructure its 25-year alliance with Nissan. An unnamed source within the company says that a larger Honda-Nissan partnership would "only be positive" for the French automaker.

[Mik]

Being a Nissan owner, that's distressing. Very old company. I'm sure they would restructure.

[Renauda]

@Mik

I second that. My Pro 4X Frontier, for close to a dozen years now, has probably been the most dependable and maintenance free vehicle I have ever owned.

[Mik]

I've had my Murano for 5+ years - not one repair, just maintenance. Flawless.

[Mik]

My best friend in high school had a little Datsun we tooled around everywhere in. SO cheap on gas, totally dependable.

[LuFins Dad]

What’s causing the distress? I know those CRT Transmissions were a lot problematic, but not to this extent?

[jon-nyc]

I loved my Maxima back in the day.

Why does Renault still exist? Who buys their shit cars?

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Nissan on the ropes:

Why does Renault still exist? Who buys their shit cars?

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Where does renault sell most of its cars?

Renault sells most of its cars in Europe. In 2023, the Renault Group sold nearly 1.54 million vehicles in the European market, which was a significant portion of their global sales. However, specific countries within Europe where Renault has a strong presence include:

• France: Renault's domestic market where it confirmed its leading position in both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (LCV) with sales increases of 18% and 13% respectively for PCs and LCVs.

• Romania: Renault Group holds a significant market share, approximately 38% in 2023.

• Morocco: With a market share of 37.3% in 2023.

Additionally, Renault has notable sales in other regions:

• Turkey: Renault set a new historic sales record with a rise of 7.0% in 2018.

• Russia: Before exiting the market due to geopolitical issues, Renault had been expanding with a 12.2% increase in sales in 2018.

These regions highlight where Renault has traditionally had strong sales, although the company's presence in Russia has been significantly altered due to recent events.

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[Jolly]

Nissan. Pretty decent engines. Crappy transmissions. Build quality has suffered in the last two decades when compared to the major Japanese makes (with the exception of Mitsubishi).

Drive a Sentra, then drive a Hyundai Elantra. The Hyundai is less money, better transmission, and ride is a little better. Nissan just dropped their full-size pickup (which was a mistake), but still makes a good small pickup...Probably the best of its size in the market, but too much money.

The Sentra needs work. The Altima needs a different transmission. The Rogue with a standard automatic would be a really good vehicle. Little better build quality and hold the $29k pricepoint and it could be a segment leader. Some of the bigger models such as the Murano and Armada need refreshing.

My 2¢.

[jon-nyc]

I have an Avis Mitsubishi right now. I’m unimpressed.

[Mik]

The Murano got a redesign for 25. Five plus years in ours has been perfect. We will see how that continues after we hit 60k miles.

[George K]

The Rogue I rented in Denver was OK. Nothing remarkably bad, or good about it. It did the job and was moderately comfortable for me to drive.

[Copper]

My wife has a 2012 Rouge, it works fine, no trouble, very low miles.

[Jolly]

@Mik said in Nissan on the ropes:

The Murano got a redesign for 25. Five plus years in ours has been perfect. We will see how that continues after we hit 60k miles.

Geez, you drive anywhere?

60k is barely over one set of tires.

[Mik]

Most things here are quite close. I did replace the tires last year. Unlike a lot of things, I do not try to squeeze the last mile out of them. I dislike changing tires on the road.

[George K]

@Jolly said in Nissan on the ropes:

Geez, you drive anywhere?

Ahem.

My 2017 A4 which I purchased in 2018 had 10,500 miles on it.

I'm all they way up to 36,000 now.

[Copper]

@George-K said in Nissan on the ropes:

My 2017 A4 which I purchased in 2018 had 10,500 miles on it.

I'm all they way up to 36,000 now.

My 2017 Cadillac XT5 which I purchased in 2019 had 19,621 miles on it.

I'm all they way up to 35,009 now.

About 3K per year.

[Mik]

We can beat that. Our second car is a 2010 Camry. I doubt we put 200 miles a year on it.

[Jolly]

My 2015 Sonata is somewhere around 165k.

I'll wring 200k out of it, you just hide and watch. Green, am I.

[Mik]

Green with envy of our Camry....