Nissan to Cut 10% of Its Workforce in Europe as Sales Continue to Decline

Nissan has announced the reduction of about 900 jobs in Europe, equivalent to approximately 10% of its workforce on the continent, as part of a broader reorganization plan aimed at recovering profitability after years of declining sales and significant losses. The cut will affect both employees and workers and will involve several strategic production assets, as reported by a company spokesperson to Reuters.

Among the main actions are the partial closure of the Barcelona depot, the reduction to a single production line at the Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom, and a revision of the distribution model in the Nordic markets. The Japanese company, which has around 130,000 employees worldwide, continues a downsizing program already initiated in previous years: in 2020 it closed its main Spanish plants and in 2024 it had already announced the intention to eliminate 11,000 jobs globally and close seven factories by 2027.

The crisis is rooted in the decline of demand in China and the United States, which are key markets for Nissan, along with the increasing competitive pressure from Chinese manufacturers and the structural issues affecting the entire automotive industry. The group finds itself forced to rethink production capacity, logistics network, and operational costs.

The European landscape clearly appears critical, but looking at the situation of Stellantis in Italy, the scenario becomes even worse. Earlier this year, the Italian-French group published its traditional annual report: in 2025, car production in the five national factories came to 213,706 units, a 25% decline compared to 2024 and less than half the volumes of 2023. These levels are the lowest since the 1950s. Considering also the commercial vehicles produced in Atessa, the total remains below 380,000 units, with a contraction of 20%.

It is evident, therefore, that beyond commercial choices and poorly performing products, the entire European industry is struggling, while the Chinese industry advances relentlessly thanks to technological innovation and extremely competitive prices, unsustainable for European competitors that still produce in the Old Continent.