Nissan to downsize London Design Centre, consolidate design operations into five hubs
Cost-cutting plan aims to raise about £5.2 billion after a record loss, restructuring design across five global hubs with London remaining a regional anchor.
Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday announced a broad restructuring of its design organization, downsizing its London Design Centre and trimming global design operations as part of a cost-cutting plan to raise about £5.2 billion to help the company survive after posting a record annual loss.
The changes include the closure of design centers in California and Sao Paulo, with the Paddington studio in London also expected to see staff reductions. The company said design work will be consolidated into five hubs: Los Angeles, Shanghai, Tokyo, Atsugi and London. London’s Design Centre will continue to serve as the backbone for Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania in collaboration with Renault.
Nissan described the plan as a "strategic realignment" under its Re:Nissan program, aimed at aligning resources and embedding technology at the core of the design process to deliver faster, smarter, and more connected solutions. The restructuring is due to be completed by the end of fiscal 2025.
The London hub, which opened in 2003 at The Rotunda after a move from Germany, has long been central to Nissan's European design efforts and has been linked to iconic models including the Pathfinder, the original Juke and the Micra EV.
Nissan has signaled that the Micra is among three new models it hopes will help turn around fortunes, along with the Leaf and Juke EVs — with production of the Leaf and Juke EVs slated for Sunderland.
The broader plan mirrors earlier disclosures this year that Nissan would cut about 20,000 jobs and close seven factories to achieve about £2.6 billion in savings. Sunderland, Nissan's UK production center, remains open with government support; the site, employing roughly 6,000 people, is expected to see about 250 job cuts as part of the global shake-up.
Nissan said Sunderland would continue to operate, with the government providing a £1 billion loan to safeguard jobs at the site, which Nissan says will remain a key manufacturing location.
Nissan's Re:Nissan plan is designed to deliver positive operating profitability and free cash flow in the automotive business by fiscal year 2026, the company has said.
The move, while substantial, is not unique for Nissan, which has previously pursued a broad cost-cutting agenda as it seeks to restore profitability.
The five-hub approach aims to embed technology and accelerate decision-making across design, with London working alongside the other hubs to deliver future models for Europe, Africa, and beyond.
