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Nissan Motor Japan is rumoured to be ending the development of all new versions of all its sedans in Japan as sport utility vehicles have become increasingly more popular with urban drivers.
According to an online business portal, major suppliers have been informed of the plans. Currently, there are four major sedans lined up on the floors of the dealerships in Japan: they are the Cima, Fugue, Sylphy and the long-running Skyline. All these four models will be affected by the development.
Being part of the world’s largest automaking alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors, they have started to shift their focus onto the development of SUVs and electric vehicles. For markets other than Japan, Nissan has yet to decide on whether to stop the production of the Skyline, Fuga and Cima sedans at their current generation. Production of the Sylphy sedan ended in 2020. It is likely that the design, planning and development of other sedans will still continue outside Japan.
Since its launch in 1957, the Skyline, being Nissan’s oldest and most popular model, is still in production and boasts a wide fan base. Its performance model, the GT-R aka Godzilla, still has a cult following which, by the looks of it, isn’t going anywhere. But these sedans are under pressure from the SUVs, which in recent times have a strong following, especially amongst the younger generations.
The automaker’s state of the art Tochigi factory north of Tokyo has been a production base for the Skyline and other sedans. Nissan plans to start assembling its new Ariya electric vehicle there sometime this year and may eventually dedicate the factory to only electric vehicles.
Nissan sold 5,800 of the four sedan models in 2020, accounting for just 1% of its new vehicle sales. Skyline sales totalled 660,000 over four years in the 1970s, when the popularity of the model peaked.
Nissan sedans fared better overseas, with around 950,000 sold in major markets in 2020. While this was down sharply from the roughly 1.7 million sold in 2016, sedans remain popular in China and elsewhere.
Given its brand status, Nissan will consider using the Skyline name for SUVs and electrics. Nissan Japan’s move to halt sedan development is part of plans to cut its model count by roughly a fifth by the first quarter of 2024.
The automaker is not alone. Top car manufacturers around the world are moving away from sedans while offering more SUVs in their line-up.
