Nissan racks up red ink, but the Japanese automaker promises a return to profit later this year

Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa speaks during a press conference at its headquarters in Yokohama, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO — Japanese automaker Nissan sank into a 115.8 billion yen (US$782 million) loss for April-June, but promised Wednesday to return to profitability later this year.

Nissan Motor Corp. did not give a full year net profit forecast. It recorded a 28.6 billion yen profit during the April-June quarter last year.

Quarterly sales for the current fiscal year slipped nearly 10 per cent to 2.7 trillion yen ($18 billion).

The maker of the Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models said the results were better than expected.

But it faces “headwinds,” including declining sales, unfavorable exchange rates and President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Ivan Espinosa, who took the helm at Nissan in April replacing Makoto Uchida, said the company’s recovery plan remained urgent. Uchida stepped down to take responsibility for the dismal fiscal results.

Espinosa noted the initial steps of the company’s revival plan were kicking in, including cutting costs, realigning products, reshaping a market strategy and strengthening partnerships.

“We must now go further and faster to achieve profitability. Everyone at Nissan is united in delivering a recovery that will ensure a sustainable and profitable future,” he said.

Nissan, based in the port city of Yokohama, has been struggling but is promising a turnaround under Espinosa, a Mexican with two decades of experience at Nissan.

The company said some of its models, such as the N7 in China and the Magnite in Mexico, have been selling well recently.

Nissan recently ditched talks with Japanese rival Honda Motor Co. to set up a joint holding company. They said they will continue to cooperate on technology development.

Nissan is closing its flagship factory in Oppama, Japan, outside Tokyo, by the end of the 2027 fiscal year, moving production there to another plant in southwestern Japan.

Nissan is also slashing 15 per cent of its global work force, or about 20,000 employees. That includes a 9,000 head count reduction announced late last year.