Nissan Explains What Went Wrong, Admits Its Vehicles Are 'Aged'

There's no denying that Nissan's current lineup contains more than a few elderly offerings. The 370Z and GT-R are over a decade old, though being niche performance vehicles, age isn't quite as critical in that genre. SUVs aren't niche, and a nine-year-old Pathfinder isn't doing Nissan any favors. And then we have the Frontier, which is nearly old enough to vote in US elections.

This was part of the discussion that recently took place between Nissan Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta and UK's Car magazine. The automaker's woes aren't relegated to US shores, and the report cites Gupta as stating the company tried expanding too fast. That was the game plan of former CEO and escape artist Carlos Ghosn who targeted an eight-percent market share during his tenure and was overseeing the massive expansion. The result of that effort, according to Gupta in Car's report, was Nissan being "landed with aged vehicles, a huge lineup which we could not maintain."

Does that mean a slathering of new Nissan's are on-deck? Not necessarily, though the report does point to electrification taking hold in the coming years. Aside from the new Ariya, Nissan says half of its vehicles sold in Europe will be electric. That also means performance cars like the new Z and GT-R will exit the Euro market where emissions regulations have tightened, but they will continue in the US.

For that matter, the report states that Nissan considers Japan, China, and the US as its largest markets but again, don't expect the automaker to flood dealerships with fresh blood. Its turnaround plan calls for reduced costs, and that means reduced production. Instead of an eight-percent global market share target, Nissan is aiming for six-percent and it will utilize its partnerships with Renault as well as Mitsubishi to get there.

Given the global struggles faced by automakers in 2020, even a six-percent slice of the global pie by 2023 could be tough to reach.