Renault and Nissan are preparing a major reorganization of their factories in Europe. The Japanese company is expected to close its Barcelona site and could take care of the production of Captur and Kadjar in the United Kingdom.
The Alliance and its members are finalizing the preparation of their new strategic plans, which will be released in late May.
For both Nissan and Renault, the important thing will be a big reduction in operating costs. Moreover, at the beginning of the year, Clotilde Delbos, acting director general of French, said that there were no taboos, suggesting that factories were threatened. Coronavirus may be a game-changer when the industry waits for a government-guaranteed loans.
In July 2019, Nissan confirmed its goal of reducing production capacity by 10% and plans to cut 12,500 jobs worldwide by 2023.
But the brand, which is really not in shape, could go much further. Yesterday, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported that Nissan could reduce its production capacity by 20% by 2023! Several factories are said to be closing. In Europe, the site in Barcelona (Spain) would be threatened. This factory produces in particular the Navara pickup, and its cousins Renault Alaskan and Mercedes Class X. According to Nikkei, the activity could be transferred to other factories, notably those of Renault.
More broadly, it is a large set of musical chairs that could operate in the production sites of the Alliance in Europe. For Nissan, however, there is no question of withdrawing from the Old Continent as has been heard recently. However, the brand risks cleaning up its range to focus on high-volume models, notably the Juke and Qashqai.
The manufacturer thus guarantees the sustainability of its mega English site in Sunderland. And surprise, according to the Financial Times, the British factory could recover the production of two Renault models, and not least: the Captur and the Kadjar. What may seem logical in the desire to reorganize the Alliance more logically, these models being technical cousins of the Juke and Qashqai, also produced in Sunderland. Renault could consequently close one of its Spanish factories, Palencia or Valladolid.
