Nissan is to downsize its design studio in London as part of a major cost-saving plan that was announced earlier this year.
Nissan is also scaling back its operations at its design headquarters in Japan and will close centres in California and São Paulo, Brazil.
The Paddington studio, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023, is expected to have its workforce reduced, although Nissan has yet to confirm this.
The centre has been a key part of Nissan's success in Europe, most notably designing the Sunderland-built Qashqai – a car that has become one of the UK's and Europe's best-selling vehicles.
Over the years, it has also penned multiple concepts that have morphed into production cars such as the Terranaut (Pathfinder), Qazana and Gripz (Juke Mk1 and Mk2) and 20-23 (new Micra).
It was also the studio that created the Micra C+C drop-top of 2005.
In a statement today, Nissan said it will “remain a centre for innovative design, with a strong emphasis on supporting markets across the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region".
Henceforth Nissan will leverage partnerships, such as that with Renault, to help design its cars, such as it has done with the new Micra – effectively the Renault 5 with a new front and rear.
The changes will be made by the end of the 2025 financial year, Nissan said.
The cuts are the next step of the car maker’s 'Re:Nissan' plan, announced in May. Under this Nissan will cut 20,000 jobs and close seven plants globally, while also pausing all post-2026 product work, in a bid to claw back profitability after recording a £3.8 billion net loss in the 2024/25 financial year.
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