Nissan would move production outside Mexico

MEXICO - The possible imposition of 25% tariffs on Mexican products by the United States, which was paused for a month, is generating uncertainty in the automotive industry, and the Japanese vehicle manufacturer, Nissan, is already evaluating the impact in the event of this measure, which would imply moving its production from Mexico to another location.

This was announced at a press conference by Makoto Uchida, president and CEO of Nissan, who said that they must be prepared for the possible entry into force of this tariff measure.

“If high tariffs are imposed, we will have to be ready and maybe we can move production of these models elsewhere. If that were the decision, we would think about how to make it a reality while we monitor the situation,” he said.

The executive stressed that the Japanese company exports a large volume of vehicles to the northern neighbor, so he warned that if there are high tariffs, it will have serious implications for our business.

From its plants in Mexico, Nissan exports approximately 320,000 cars per year to the US market.

During the presentation of its financial results, the Japanese company reported a 98.4% fall in its net profit between April and December. In view of this situation, it anticipated that in 2025 it will record losses for the first time in four years.

To face these challenges, it announced a restructuring plan that contemplates reducing its global production by 20%, particularly in the small market. The plan also includes the elimination of nine thousand jobs in three plants and labor adjustments in Thailand.

It also includes the reduction of shifts in its Smyrna and Canton factories in the United States, which will affect 6,500 workers between this year and 2026.

In Mexico, Nissan is one of the automakers that has had an optimal performance. In January of this year alone, it reported an 8% increase in production, reaching 61,085 units compared to the 56,567 units manufactured in the same month of 2024, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).

In terms of exports, in the first month of 2025, Nissan shipped 33,807 units abroad and sold 20,279 vehicles in the domestic market, an increase of 1.5% compared to January of last year, when it sold 19,970 cars.