Nissan’s electric comeback Aria stalled by production problems | – #Nissans #electric #comeback #Aria #stalled #production #problems
TOKYO, 10 March (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co’s ( 7201.T ) new Aria electric car has been hampered by problems on a high-tech production line that have slowed deliveries of the car, four people familiar with the matter said. car the manufacturer is on the way back.
2020Unveiled in 2010, the crossover was Nissan’s first all-new global vehicle in five years and was intended to turn around the turmoil following the ouster of former chief Carlos Ghosn. news was giving
Production is running at least a third below schedule, keeping the Aria from shipping to new customers, according to three people and production planning records reviewed by Reuters. As the matter is private, he refused to disclose the identity of all the persons.
The shortage represents a missed opportunity to capitalize on the Aria’s buzz and test demand for the first of 19 new EVs Nissan plans to launch by 2030. This is also car electricity, which its maker helped pioneer before giving up the lead car hinders growth plans in the market. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O).
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Production of the Aria has been slowed by problems with the highly automated “smart factory” production system it has built for the model at its plant in Tochigi, north of Tokyo, the two people said.
Nissan has created a system that allows the production of cars with different power units – batteries, hybrids and internal combustion engines – on the same line.
The application proved to be an “extremely, very high challenge” and the advanced paint line became a constant headache, one of the people said.
One of the people said january After a fire at China-based supplier Wuxi Welnew Micro-Electronic in 2016, Nissan faced a shortage of coating for an electronic component for the Aria. The supplier told Reuters that it had moved production to a second plant and was “working to restore production”.
In a statement to Reuters, Nissan said Ariya production was facing challenges such as semiconductor supply, component supply and the factory’s paint line. “Nissan is fully and diligently working to fully restore the plant’s production capacity,” the company said.
S&P Global Ratings this week downgraded Nissan’s debt rating to junk, saying margins and sales volumes may not improve as quickly as previously expected.
NO RESERVATIONS
Production problems at Nissan and France’s Renault SA ( RENA.PA ). january due to their agreement to overhaul their two-decade-old alliance on a more equal footing. Nissan has also agreed to invest in Renault’s new EV business.
Japanese car manufacturer 2010, rode the first wave of interest in EVs with the Leaf hatchback. But 2020By 2016, the car had overtaken Tesla’s Model 3 in terms of lifetime sales. Electric vehicles accounted for just 4.5% of Nissan’s global sales of 3.2 million vehicles in 2022.
According to the two people, Nissan is aiming to produce 400 Arias per day, which equates to about 9,000 per month and about 9,000 per year. 10It is equal to more than 0.000 cars.
Output is expected to be lower than that over the next two months, according to last month’s production planning records reviewed by Reuters. According to planning records, production was less than 6,900 vehicles in March and about 5,000 in April.200, and in May it will be 5,400. It has since been taken down, one of the people said.
Nissan has not commented on production targets or current output.
USA dealers stopped taking orders last year, and Japanese dealers stopped taking orders in August.
Aria was supposed to hit the showrooms in 2021, but due to a global chip shortage, it was postponed to 2022.
Dublin Nissan in northern California has an Aria available for test drives, but it’s not for sale, said general manager Mario Beltran. The dealership expects more that could arrive this spring, he said.
“Just like the Beetle brought back Volkswagen, the Aria will bring back Nissan,” Beltran said, noting that some customers have put down their Tesla deposits for the Aria. cancellation added that he did.
The car won praise for its bold exterior and elegant interior with lights inspired by Japanese lanterns.
USAWith a starting price of around $43,000 in dollars It’s an alternative to Tesla’s expensive Model Y. When the Aria is leased, it qualifies for a $7,500 US credit paid to Nissan’s finance company.
“INTELLIGENT FACTORY”
Aria line 33 billion yen (243 million dollars) was built as part of the “smart factory” initiative, which Nissan says represents an entirely new production system with robotics and zero emissions, with an initial investment.
The new paint line is designed to paint the entire vehicle together, including bodywork and bumpers, to increase efficiency and be more environmentally friendly.
Nissan has also invested in a new assembly technique that allows the various powertrains to be lifted from below before robotic installation, saving time.
The new system uses an automated pallet to install the pre-assembled powertrain.
Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu, Maki Shiraki and David Dolan; Additional by Daniel Leussink in Tokyo and Ben Klayman in Detroit report; Edited by Kevin Krolicki and Jamie Freed
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
2023-03-10 09:39:41
Source – reuters
Translation“24 HOURS”