Nissan shuts design hubs in California, Brazil, trims London, Japan

20 Sep 2025

YOKOHAMA, Japan: Nissan Motor will shut down its design studios in California and Sao Paulo and scale back facilities in London and Japan as part of a global overhaul of its design operations, the company said.

The Japanese automaker said the restructuring, to be completed by the end of fiscal 2025, aims to streamline its design network.

The changes fall under its broader “Re:Nissan” turnaround plan and will consolidate the company’s design organization into five hubs: Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Japan’s Atsugi.

Nissan said its Los Angeles “Studio Six” will serve as the primary U.S. design hub, while London will continue to support the automaker’s Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania markets in collaboration with partner Renault.

The company did not disclose how many jobs would be affected.

Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa, who took over in April, unveiled the “Re:Nissan” turnaround plan in May to restore profitability. The plan also includes reducing global production capacity to 2.5 million vehicles from 3.5 million and cutting manufacturing sites to 10 from 17 by fiscal 2027.

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