Latest news with #GuillaumeCartier
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Nissan hints future of Rosslyn is safe despite speculation
Troubled Japanese brand's President of Africa has provided the biggest indication that it won't leave South Africa anytime soon. Nissan South Africa has broken its silence on ongoing reports that its Rosslyn plant outside Pretoria is set to close as part of the Re:Nissan restructuring plan. Seven factories in-line for closure Back in May, Reuters reported that at least seven of the brand's 17 global production sites are facing closure before the end of the decade, with those most likely being Oppama and Shonan in Japan, the Renault co-run Chennai and Santa Isabel plants in India and Argentina, and at least one of its three plants in Mexico. ALSO READ: Reports claim Rosslyn to be one of Nissan's plants facing closure This after the brand, earlier this year, announced a net loss of R82.2-billion, with the added knock-off being a planned 15% cut in its global workforce from the original 9 000 announced last year, to at least 20 000 by 2027. At the same time, its failed merger with Honda, with the subsequent resignation of CEO Makoto Uchida, has been cited as a further reason for the brand's worsening position. Rosslyn's dilemma One of the plants rumoured for closure, the 59-year old Rosslyn facility, which currently only produces the Navara for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, has been a point of uncertainty following the withdrawal of the NP200 in 2023. The result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the move resulted in Nissan cutting its workforce by 400, despite its Chairperson for the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania regions, Guillaume Cartier, maintaining as last year that it is looking into producing a second model to fully utilise the plant's capacity. At the same time, Nissan's Managing Director for South Africa and Independent African Markets, Maciej Klenkiewicz, said a study is underway in to the feasibility of producing another model alongside the Navara. Sign of staying? Addressing the media at the launch of the Navara Stealth in Magaliesburg last week, Nissan President for Africa, Jordi Vila, alluded to that, despite persisting rumours, the brand has no intentions of exiting South Africa or shutting down Rosslyn. This, after it was confirmed this week that the Oppama plant will indeed cease operations by 2028, while the Chennai and Santa Isabel facilities could become fully owned by Renault and result in current Nissan products continuing, though fully assembled by its alliance partner. 'We need to be proud of our heritage and where we come from. And when I look at Nissan's history in South Africa and the models, we should not lose that and [instead] build on it for the future. It is a market where we want to be from the past to the future,' Vila said. 'We are committed to growth in Africa and South Africa. Our plan is to grow – we grew with Navara and Magnite, and we want to grow the concept of built in Africa for Africa. 'We should be proud of producing this quality of vehicle (in Africa), and we don't want to give up on that,' Vila concluded. ALSO READ: Nissan's bleak outlook: revenue down, looming 20 000 job cuts
Scottish Sun
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Watch moment iconic car maker enters space race after successfully launching reusable rocket
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the spectacular moment one of the world's largest car manufacturers successfully launched a reusable rocket. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Honda R&D - the research and development arm of Honda Motor - landed a rocket for the first time on Tuesday - after it reached an altitude of nearly 1,000 feet. 4 The moment Honda's experimental reusable rocket launches Credit: Honda 4 The rocket's ascent Credit: Honda 4 The rocket touches down after nearly a minute in the air Credit: Honda The experimental reusable rocket reached an altitude of 890 feet during its test flight - staying aloft for 56.6 seconds. It landed just 14.6 inches from its target touchdown point at the carmaker's test facility in northern Japan, according to Honda. Weighing in at 2,890 pounds when fully fuelled (1,984 pounds dry), the rocket is 20.7 feet tall and measured 2.8 feet in diameter. Honda's rocket has become the first prototype rocket outside the US and China to pull off a flight like this. The company said the launch and landing test demonstrated "key technologies essential for rocket reusability, such as flight stability during ascent and descent, as well as landing capability". The Japanese car manufacturer first revealed in 2021 that it had been working on a rocket engine for at least two years. After six years of development, this successful test marked a major step in Honda's push into space innovation. But Honda is not alone in the race beyond Earth. Other car makers like Geely, GM, Hyundai-Kia, Toyota and Venturi are partnering with space tech companies. Unlike Honda and Venturi that have developed rockets or space vehicles, Toyota has been involved more in robotics and space exploration tech. Vid shows supersonic test launch in bid for 1hr cross-Atlantic flights in 5yrs Geely, GM and Hyundai-Kia are partnering with aerospace firms or investing in space tech startups - rather than independently developing rockets yet. It comes after talk of a merger between car rivals Nissan and Honda collapsed in February. But the door to collaboration remains wide open. Nissan's CEO Ivan Espinosa said in March that the company is "very open" to partnerships. The company's chief performance officer, Guillaume Cartier, said Nissan had "never stopped" talking with its Japanese rival, confirming that the two continue working towards a potential partnership. Espinosa, who officially took over on April 1, said his company faces up to five simultaneous crises - including a damaged brand, low morale and the execution of a sweeping turnaround. Speaking at a company event, he said: "The way we are seeing partners is broadly, not only thinking about cars but how to push Nissan into the next era of technology." Toshihiro Mibe has been the CEO of Honda Motor Co. since 2021.
The Irish Sun
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Watch moment iconic car maker enters space race after successfully launching reusable rocket
THIS is the spectacular moment one of the world's largest car manufacturers successfully launched a reusable rocket. Advertisement Honda R&D - the research and development arm of Honda Motor - landed a rocket for the first time on Tuesday - after it reached an altitude of nearly 1,000 feet. Advertisement 4 The moment Honda's experimental reusable rocket launches Credit: Honda 4 The rocket's ascent Credit: Honda 4 The rocket touches down after nearly a minute in the air Credit: Honda The experimental reusable rocket reached an altitude of 890 feet during its test flight - staying aloft for 56.6 seconds. Advertisement It landed just 14.6 inches from its target touchdown point at the carmaker's test facility in northern Japan, according to Honda. Weighing in at 2,890 pounds when fully fuelled (1,984 pounds dry), the rocket is 20.7 feet tall and measured 2.8 feet in diameter. Honda's rocket has become the first prototype rocket outside the US and China to pull off a flight like this. Read more tech news The company said the launch and landing test demonstrated "key technologies essential for rocket reusability, such as flight stability during ascent and descent, as well as landing capability". Advertisement The Japanese car manufacturer first revealed in 2021 that it had been working on a rocket engine for at least two years. After six years of development, this successful test marked a major step in Honda's push into space innovation. But Honda is not alone in the race beyond Earth. Most read in Tech Other car makers like Geely, GM, Hyundai-Kia, Toyota and Venturi are partnering with space tech companies. Advertisement Unlike Honda and Venturi that have developed rockets or space vehicles, Toyota has been involved more in robotics and space exploration tech. Vid shows supersonic test launch in bid for 1hr cross-Atlantic flights in 5yrs Geely, GM and Hyundai-Kia are partnering with aerospace firms or investing in space tech startups - rather than independently developing rockets yet. It comes after talk of a merger between car rivals Nissan and Honda But the door to collaboration remains wide open. Advertisement Nissan's CEO The company's chief performance officer, Guillaume Cartier, said Nissan had "never stopped" talking with its Japanese rival, confirming that the two continue working towards a potential partnership. Espinosa, who officially took over on April 1, said his company faces up to five simultaneous crises - including a damaged brand, low morale and the execution of a sweeping turnaround. Speaking at a company event, he said: "The way we are seeing partners is broadly, not only thinking about cars but how to push Nissan into the next era of technology." Advertisement Toshihiro Mibe has been the CEO of Honda Motor Co. since 2021. 4 This is a major step in Honda's push into space innovation Credit: Honda
Scottish Sun
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Fears over future of iconic car brand hit by £4BILLION loss – after axing 9,000 jobs & failed ‘merger' talks with rival
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR car manufacturer has revealed they are set to lose £4billion this year after axing 9,000 jobs. The figure is far higher than the £426million bosses had previously forecast for the 2024/2025 financial year. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Nissan have now predicted they could make a net loss of anywhere between £3.7billion to £4billion Credit: Getty 2 Restructuring included moves to axe 9,000 jobs Credit: Getty Nissan have now predicted they could make a net loss of anywhere between £3.7billion to £4billion. Meanwhile the company recorded a £2.3billion income a year ago. The Japanese manufacturer has put loses down to costs to carry out a strategy planned by their new CEO Ivan Espinosa. He made way for a £2.6billion decrease in the value of production and forked out £316million in restructuring costs. Restructuring included moves to axe 9,000 jobs internationally and scrapping a factory in Sunderland. Alan Johnson, the company's senior vice-president for manufacturing, supply chain and purchasing, told MPs this week the UK is "not a competitive place to be building cars". Despite the losses, Nissan predicted it will end the year with close to £7.9billion - a fraction of the £8.2billion brought in last financial year. The firm also said it is due to round up the year with debts of £10billion. Speaking to Autocar last month, Espinosa said: "Costs have to be improved both on the fixed and viable side." Performance officer Guillaume Cartier added: 'When we have the right products, we have proven we can grow." This follows Nissan announcing they were "on the brink of collapse". The firm revealed three news EVs as its boss vows to save its UK factory from closure. Nissan shared the arrival of the all-new Leaf EV and a revived Micra model - with a shiny new battery-powered supermini. Also launching soon is the Qashqai - one of the UK's best-selling cars - and a new Juke, which will be upgraded in the Sunderland plant. After rumours swirled about the future of Nissan's UK factory, the car brand's boss François Bailly said he was committed to maintaining the Sunderland factory, calling it the "jewel of Europe". But while Nissan's head is set on keeping the UK based production unit, he said the country's ZEV mandate is making "life very difficult". The car brand's performance officer Guillaume Cartier told Autocar: "We still have 10 years, so we need what we call two legs or a dual strategy: what are the cars that we can extend, and what are the technologies that we want to invest in.' Earlier this month the company even called time on its former CEO Makoto Uchida. Yasushi Kimura, chair of Nissan's board of directors, said: "Given the industry wide challenges and Nissan's performance, we believe it is necessary as well as appropriate to change the top management team." Indeed, signs of trouble began in May when they asked dealers in the US to begin selling cars at a loss. News then broke that Nissan and Honda were to expand their earlier partnership to work on electric vehicles and software alongside fellow manufacturer Mitsubishi. But in November, they dropped the bombshell announcement that some 9,000 employees globally would be laid off, along with the reduction of production. By the end of 2024, some company executives had disclosed that Nissan had 12 to 14 months left to survive - a frightening prospect, with their best chance of continuing being a merger with another company. In December, the CEOs of Nissan and Honda met for official talks and announced they would officially look to merge. But these talks deteriorated in the new year as Nissan withdrew from the deal, following Honda's proposal to make them a subsidiary. However the tide could finally be turning for Nissan as its new boss announced that talks of a merger with its major rival are back on. Nissan's CEO Ivan Espinosa has said the company remains "very open" to partnerships after its merger talks with competitor Honda spectacularly collapsed. The company's chief performance officer, Guillaume Cartier, also said Nissan had "never stopped" talking with its Japanese rival, confirming that the two were still actively working towards a potential partnership. Espinosa has said his company faces up to five simultaneous crises, including a damaged brand, low morale, and the execution of a sweeping turnaround. The 46-year-old appears to be open to partnerships, saying there were "no taboos" around the idea of having future partners help plug the gaps in its range of motors. Speaking at a company event, he said: "The way we are seeing partners is broadly, not only thinking about cars but how to push Nissan into the next era of technology'.
The Sun
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Fears over future of iconic car brand hit by £4BILLION loss – after axing 9,000 jobs & failed ‘merger' talks with rival
A MAJOR car manufacturer has revealed they are set to lose £4billion this year after axing 9,000 jobs. The figure is far higher than the £426million bosses had previously forecast for the 2024/2025 financial year. 2 Nissan have now predicted they could make a net loss of anywhere between £3.7billion to £4billion. Meanwhile the company recorded a £2.3billion income a year ago. The Japanese manufacturer has put loses down to costs to carry out a strategy planned by their new CEO Ivan Espinosa. He made way for a £2.6billion decrease in the value of production and forked out £316million in restructuring costs. Restructuring included moves to axe 9,000 jobs internationally and scrapping a factory in Sunderland. Alan Johnson, the company's senior vice-president for manufacturing, supply chain and purchasing, told MPs this week the UK is "not a competitive place to be building cars". Despite the losses, Nissan predicted it will end the year with close to £7.9billion - a fraction of the £8.2billion brought in last financial year. The firm also said it is due to round up the year with debts of £10billion. Speaking to Autocar last month, Espinosa said: "Costs have to be improved both on the fixed and viable side." Performance officer Guillaume Cartier added: 'When we have the right products, we have proven we can grow." This follows Nissan announcing they were "on the brink of collapse". The firm revealed three news EVs as its boss vows to save its UK factory from closure. Nissan shared the arrival of the all-new Leaf EV and a revived Micra model - with a shiny new battery-powered supermini. Also launching soon is the Qashqai - one of the UK's best-selling cars - and a new Juke, which will be upgraded in the Sunderland plant. After rumours swirled about the future of Nissan's UK factory, the car brand's boss François Bailly said he was committed to maintaining the Sunderland factory, calling it the "jewel of Europe". But while Nissan's head is set on keeping the UK based production unit, he said the country's ZEV mandate is making "life very difficult". The car brand 's performance officer Guillaume Cartier told Autocar: "We still have 10 years, so we need what we call two legs or a dual strategy: what are the cars that we can extend, and what are the technologies that we want to invest in.' Earlier this month the. Yasushi Kimura, chair of Nissan's board of directors, said: "Given the industry wide challenges and Nissan's performance, we believe it is necessary as well as appropriate to change the top management team." Indeed, signs of trouble began in May when they asked dealers in the US to begin selling cars at a loss. News then broke that Nissan and Honda were to expand their earlier partnership to work on electric vehicles and software alongside fellow manufacturer Mitsubishi. But in November, they dropped the bombshell announcement that some 9,000 employees globally would be laid off, along with the reduction of production. By the end of 2024, some company executives had disclosed that Nissan had 12 to 14 months left to survive - a frightening prospect, with their best chance of continuing being a merger with another company. In December, the CEOs of Nissan and Honda met for official talks and announced they would officially look to merge. But these talks deteriorated in the new year as Nissan withdrew from the deal, following Honda's proposal to make them a subsidiary. However the tide could finally be turning for Nissan as its new boss announced that talks of a merger with its major rival are back on. Nissan's CEO Ivan Espinosa has said the company remains "very open" to partnerships after its merger talks with competitor Honda spectacularly collapsed. The company's chief performance officer, Guillaume Cartier, also said Nissan had "never stopped" talking with its Japanese rival, confirming that the two were still actively working towards a potential partnership. Espinosa has said his company faces up to five simultaneous crises, including a damaged brand, low morale, and the execution of a sweeping turnaround. The 46-year-old appears to be open to partnerships, saying there were "no taboos" around the idea of having future partners help plug the gaps in its range of motors. Speaking at a company event, he said: "The way we are seeing partners is broadly, not only thinking about cars but how to push Nissan into the next era of technology'.
