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TOKYO — Nissan may bring production of its ultra-compact electric vehicles in-house, five people familiar with the matter said, emboldened by the success of its Sakura model currently built by junior partner Mitsubishi Motors.
The automaker is considering moving production to its factory on the southern island of Kyushu in the business year starting April 2028, said two of the people, who declined to be identified as the information was private.
Nissan and Mitsubishi denied the plan.
The Nissan Sakura was Japan’s best-selling vehicle in the passenger EV market in 2023 with a 42% share, showed Reuters calculations based on auto associations’ data. Sales have hit almost 64,000 vehicles since its introduction in mid-2022.
The performance of the Sakura — meaning “cherry blossom”, Japan’s national flower — is a bright spot for Nissan whose EV efforts have been eclipsed by the likes of U.S. rival Tesla and Chinese leader BYD which, in China, have pushed the Japanese automaker out of the top 10 brands.
Bringing production in-house would allow Nissan — an EV pioneer with its Leaf compact car — to boost its profit margin which is below that of domestic peers Toyota Motor and Honda