Nissan’s cost-cutting efforts zero in on design studios

Nissan is shrinking its design studio in London as part of a major cost-saving plan.

And it is closing others; centres in California and São Paulo, Brazil will close for good.

It is also scaling back operations at its design headquarters in Japan.

The Paddington studio is just over 20 years old. How many jobs are going is unclear; Nissan has yet to confirm the numbers.  

Despite the centre being a key part of Nissan’s success in Europe, the cuts are still coming. It was responsible for the Sunderland-built Qashqai, one of the UK’s and Europe’s best-selling vehicles. The London studio was also responsible for the Micra 20-23 Concept (top).

It conceptualised eventual production cars like the Pathfinder, Jukes Mk1 and Mk2 and the last combustion Micra. 

The Micra C+C drop-top of 2005 also emerged from the London studio (above).

Nissan said it will “remain a centre for innovative design, with a strong emphasis on supporting markets….including the Oceania region”.

Meantime, Nissan will leverage partnerships with Renault to help design its cars, like it has done with the new Micra. It is essentially the Renault 5 with new front and rear ends (below).

The changes will be enacted before year end according to Nissan.

Under its Re-Nissan survival plan, the company will cut 20,000 jobs and close seven plants globally. It is also putting all post-2026 product work on hold. All this is in response to recording a multibillion dollar net loss in the 2024/25 financial year.

In the UK, Nissan has already cut 250 jobs at its Sunderland factory.

“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,” said Nissan CEO Alfonso Albaisa in a wordy release.