- Nissan has cancelled plans to build two electric sedans in the United States, according to a report from Automotive News.
- The automaker acknowledged that the sedan market in the U.S. is shrinking and that it likely would not have been able to bring the models to market at a low enough price.
- Instead, Nissan will shift its focus to starting production of the Xterra-inspired SUV shown last month.
UPDATE 4/24/25 4:53 p.m.: This story has been updated to include a statement from Nissan regarding its plans for future products. “Nissan is committed to delivering the right product, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price,” the brand wrote in a statement. “We are actively listening to market data and, most importantly, to our customers. Both are signaling the need for us to reassess our EV offerings, prioritizing what our customers truly want—SUVs over sedans. Production will now focus on three fully electric SUV models, including versions for both Nissan and INFINITI, with manufacturing starting around mid-2028.”
It appears Nissan did the math and decided that there’s no money to be had in electric sedans—at least for the time being. The automaker has cancelled plans to bring two electric sedans to the United States, according to a new report from Automotive News. The report is based on an internal memo, dated April 21, that the outlet reviewed. Speaking to AN, Nissan’s North American chairperson, Christian Meunier, said, “The sedan market is shrinking . . . we need to face reality.” Part of the issue, according to Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan’s North America product planning chief, is the cost to develop and produce EV sedans. “Premium sedans are not our niche,” Pandikuthira told AN. “If the [electric] sedans start at $45,000-plus . . . you’re not in the core of the sedan market anymore.” NissanBut for Nissan, the cost of the required batteries and technology would have put the new models out of reach of their usual customer base. Instead, the automaker is planning to focus on a new SUV that it will build in Mississippi. According to the AN report, the vehicle (codenamed PZ1K) is the same Xterra-inspired SUV the brand showed at an event in Japan last month. While production was originally scheduled to start in early 2027, the memo shows that it will instead start in January 2028. An Infiniti model, codenamed PZ1J, is also planned, but production for that won’t start until May, some four months behind schedule. There are also plans for a third model, an unspecified EV, though the memo gave no hint at its identity or production timeline. Car and Driver reached out to Nissan to confirm the details reported by AN, we’ve updated this story with the automaker’s response. More Recent Nissan NewsJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.
Source: caranddriver.com
