Nissan's Grand U.s. Ev Plans Are Already Falling Apart

Nissan

Good morning! It's Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, Nissan's EV plans are successful for a bumpy thrust successful nan U.S., Tesla can't get a triumph successful Europe, Audi is emotion bully astir wherever it's headed and Ford issues yet different recall.

Nissan

Nissan's expansive $500 cardinal scheme to move its Mississippi factory into a "center for EV manufacturing and technology" is successful superior problem correct now, and the company's scheme to bring a brace of U.S.-made electrical crossovers to market later this decade has wholly stalled. I don't person to show you this, but neither of these are bully aliases perfect for an automaker that is already struggling mightily. 

A root told Automotive News that nan Japanese institution has "a costs problem," and nan crossovers are going to person to beryllium reengineered to beryllium much price-competitive because of lower-than-originally anticipated income volumes. Initially, Nissan aimed to waste 200,000 EVs successful nan U.S. successful 2028, and that's almost surely not going to beryllium nan lawsuit anymore, arsenic request for EVs. From Automotive News:

Nissan spokesperson Brian Brockman said suppliers were asked to "temporarily region work" connected nan electrical crossover programs while nan institution assesses "competitiveness and EV marketplace maturation opportunities."

The next-generation EVs will beryllium built connected a scalable level that tin support aggregate models and could beryllium shared pinch different automakers.

Nissan antecedently delayed nan artillery crossovers by 10 months, to November 2028 for a Nissan-branded exemplary and March 2029 for an Infiniti version.

Brockman said nan programs are nether reappraisal but that those accumulation timelines stay unchanged for now.

While each of this is going on, Nissan is readying to attraction its 4.7 million-square-foot Mississippi analyzable connected producing electrified truck-based vehicles. It'll still impact immoderate dense lifting: modifying 1 of nan 2 assembly lines astatine nan works (which presently builds nan Altima). 

Starting successful 2028, Nissan will present up to 5 vehicles connected a caller body-on-frame platform, including nan Frontier, a caller Xterra, nan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60. Nissan's CEO said accumulation volumes of these body-on-frame vehicles could scope 250,000-300,000 units per year.

Depending connected really you look astatine it, it is either an incredibly breathtaking clip for Nissan aliases a very worrying time. I suppose location isn't overmuch near to suffer for nan company. Let's conscionable dream it tin return itself to immoderate of its erstwhile glory.

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Tesla's income numbers don't look to beryllium turning astir successful Europe successful immoderate meaningful way, arsenic strong title and backlash against CEO Elon Musk proceed to move disconnected buyers. Registrations of caller Teslas successful France were down a whopping 47.3% year-over-year successful August, contempt nan truth that nan wide marketplace grew 2.2%. Things were moreover worse successful Sweden, wherever income dropped 84% contempt 6% marketplace growth. They besides dropped 42% successful Denmark, 50% successful nan Netherlands and 4.4% successful Italy. Still, it wasn't each bad news. Tesla made immoderate gains successful a fewer countries. From Reuters:

Norway, wherever Tesla has heavy roots and virtually each caller car income are electric, saw a 21.3% jump successful registrations for nan U.S. EV maker. But BYD's registrations jumped 218%.

After 7 months of declines, Tesla's registrations successful Portugal roseate 28.7% successful August.

And successful Spain, which provides EV subsidies of up to 7,000 euros ($8,200), Tesla's income roseate 161% to 1,435 cars from 549 successful August 2024. But BYD's income roseate much than 400% to 1,827 cars.

In nan twelvemonth truthful far, BYD's income successful Spain person surged 675% to 14,181 cars, while Tesla's income person risen 11.6% to 9,303 vehicles.

[...]

Earlier this twelvemonth Tesla representatives successful Europe based on that nan income diminution was mostly because accumulation was shifting to a revamped type of nan Model Y that had been Europe's top-selling car successful 2023.

Deliveries began crossed overmuch of Europe successful June, but Model Y income were down 46.5% successful Denmark successful August and 87% successful Sweden.

In nan United Kingdom, thing that is surely hurting caller Tesla income is nan truth that location are truthful galore G-D utilized Teslas available. Sales of utilized Teslas deed a grounds successful July — jumping 270%, according to Reuters, while nan mean value of a utilized Model Y deed a caller debased — down 41% in 2 years.

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Audi is emotion bully astir its prospects, and it could extremity up targeting yearly income of astatine slightest 2 cardinal vehicles — up a 5th from 2025 — nether a caller strategy the German automaker is expected to merchandise later this year. This extremity would really beryllium an yearly grounds for Audi, and it points to a much fierce attack pursuing immoderate superior down years. From Reuters:

Audi has been a headache for genitor Volkswagen, suffering from exemplary motorboat delays and technological setbacks that person widened a spread pinch rivals, challenges that are being compounded by U.S. car tariffs that forced nan institution to trim its outlook.

Under CEO Gernot Doellner, who took nan helm successful 2023, Audi is presently revamping its strategy and could see nan semipermanent income target erstwhile it briefs nan nationalist astir its caller plans later successful nan year.

The personification did not necktie nan 2 cardinal conveyance target to a circumstantial year.

For 2025, Audi is targeting conveyance income of 1.7-1.8 million, pursuing a 11.8% diminution to 1.67 cardinal past year.

The upbeat semipermanent outlook partially rests connected greater expectations for nan United States – nan world's second-largest car marketplace aft China – wherever Audi could astir double income from nan astir 200,000 cars sold annually successful nan U.S. now, nan personification said.

Audi has been deed overmuch harder than BMW and Mercedes-Benz erstwhile it comes to President Trump's tariffs for 1 elemental reason: it doesn't build immoderate cars successful nan U.S. Because of that, it has spent $702 cardinal successful nan first half of 2025 unsocial connected tariffs. Still, it believes nan marque tin drawback up to those two. Godspeed.

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I cognize y'all thought Ford would return nan agelong play to hole its callback issue, but that's not nan case. The Blue Oval is recalling 105,441 2024 and 2025 Mustangs because of improperly sealed assemblage seams, but conscionable 1% of those Mustangs will really person nan defect. The problem could let h2o to get into nan vehicle's power models and messiness up its exterior lighting, according to nan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. From Automotive News:

Ford said different 8,528 cars are being recalled successful Canada on pinch 2,181 units successful Mexico.

Water whitethorn get into nan vehicle's assemblage power modules, which whitethorn consequence successful a nonaccomplishment of connection pinch nan exterior lighting components. This whitethorn consequence successful awesome lamps not turning connected erstwhile nan debased beams are on.

Ford first became alert of nan rumor successful April, pinch 69 warranty claims making love to August 2024. The automaker is not alert of immoderate reports of accidents aliases injuries related to nan defect.

The rumor tin beryllium remedied by sealing nan affected assemblage seams and replacing nan assemblage power module if necessary. Owners tin return their conveyance to Ford aliases Lincoln dealers.

From nan looks of it, Ford has issued a staggering 109 recalls successful 2025 alone. It has already eclipsed its ain grounds for astir recalls successful a azygous year, and backmost successful July, it said it was taking a much proactive attack to recalls. I suppose we person yet to spot nan results of that action.

History.com

The endurance of nan quality tone is wild, man. If you want to study much astir Nyad and her swin, caput complete to History.com.