Nissan Halves Vehicle Development Time: CEO

Nissan Motor Co’s top executive says the carmaker has roughly halved vehicle development time as part of its restructuring efforts, aiming at a faster rollout of new models.

Nissan has shortened the development period to 26 months, compared with up to 55 months prior to the launch of the restructuring plan and beating the plan’s target of 30 months, Nissan President and CEO Ivan Espinosa said.

“The achievement is remarkable,” he said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. “It’s really about the spirit of being quicker and expediting decision making and utilizing advanced technologies to shrink the process.” The use of artificial intelligence made it possible to streamline the process in testing, early design sketching and design review among other areas, he said.

The struggling automaker posted a second straight year of red ink in the year ended March 2026, as sales faltered due in part to delays in launching new models. Shorter development plays a part in speeding up the release of new models.

For example, the Skyline sport sedan, currently under development, is on track to be completed in 26 months for unveiling this coming winter, the CEO said.

Espinosa said that about 90 percent of new models are expected to be developed under the new method, while stressing that “speed doesn’t mean compromising,” and that safety, quality, reliability and durability will all be maintained.

Nissan aims to return to profitability in the current business year even as uncertainty increases over the Middle East conflict and policy changes in the United States.

Commenting on the Japanese market, Espinosa said the company needs “to recover the trust of our customers,” calling its home market strategically important for sales, development, production and exports.