Nissan Ariya production behind schedule
Nissan cannot churn out its new electric car as quickly as planned. According to media reports, the output is at least one-third below plan due to chips, components and paint issues. But the carmaker is working on ramping up production capacity.
Nissan wanted to produce 400 units of its new EV per day, amounting to some 9,000 EVs per month. But according to Reuters, who talked to insiders and got a glimpse at production planning notes, “output in March was forecast at under 6,900 vehicles and at around 5,200 in April and 5,400 in May.” And forecasts were even lowered, according to the unnamed sources.
Nissan manufactures the Ariya at its plant in Tochigi, near Tokyo. But there are problems with the highly automated production system. The latter enables the production of cars with different powertrains (electric, hybrid and combustion engines) on the same line, but implementation has proved “an extremely, extremely high challenge.”
In addition to problems with the paint line, Nissan struggles with interruptions in the supply chain for electric components. This comes after the factory of a Chinese supplier caught fire in January.
The carmaker told Reuters that “Nissan is making a full and diligent effort to fully regain production capacity at the plant.”
“Just like the Beetle brought Volkswagen back, I think the Ariya will bring Nissan back,” explained general manager Mario Beltran, adding some customers had apparently cancelled Tesla deposits for the Ariya.
Last month, Nissan informed US dealerships that they could only sell a limited number of Ariya models this year. The carmaker said this is due to high battery material costs. But problems at the factory could also be a reason. At the same time, Nissan has taken off 60,000 yuan (around 8,200 euros) of the Ariya’s initial price in China. The price drop is a limited-time offer but clearly aims to spark demand.
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