YOKOHAMA, November 12, 2026 — Nissan Motor Co. reported a sharp narrowing of losses for the first half of its fiscal year and reaffirmed its target to return to profitability by March 2027. The Yokohama-based automaker posted a net loss of 39.7 billion yen ($250 million) for the April-September period, down from 221.9 billion yen a year earlier, according to company filings.
Sales Rise on Currency and Pricing
Six-month revenue climbed 8.8% to 6.07 trillion yen, aided by a favorable exchange rate and pricing improvements, the company said. Vehicle sales performed well in the United States and Japan, while the situation remained challenging in China, where competition remains fierce, according to state and international reports.
Nissan lowered its annual sales outlook to at most 3 million vehicle deliveries from a previous forecast of 3.15 million, citing weak demand and mounting competition in China, where buyers are shifting to locally made electric vehicles faster than expected, officials said. First-half sales in China fell 15%. Deliveries increased 6.3% in Japan and 2.1% in North America, regions where the shift to EVs is happening at a slower pace, according to reports.
Operating Profit Below Expectations
Operating profit for the three months through September came in at 2.12 billion yen ($13.3 million), well below the 49.3 billion yen projected by analysts, according to financial reports. The company maintained its full-year financial forecast on expectations that profitability will improve in the second half due to new models and higher sales volumes.
Nissan has started a broad cost-cutting campaign that includes cutting jobs and shutting down factories, but still faces sizeable debt obligations and is struggling to compete with the industry’s shift toward EVs with complex software, particularly in China, the account indicates.
External Pressures and Production Disruptions
Unrest in the Middle East has raised raw material prices and blocked shipments, continuing to hurt Nissan as with other Japanese companies, according to company statements. The weak yen, driven by the gap between Japanese and US interest rates and high oil prices, has inflated import costs for resource-poor Japan, though it also boosts exporters’ profitability, according to financial reports.
Nissan’s Kumamoto plant in southwestern Japan lost days of production following an earthquake earlier this year, though no employees were injured, officials said. The automaker’s shares slipped 1.5% in Wednesday trading ahead of the earnings announcement.
Strategy and Alliances
“The second half offers real opportunities to make progress,” Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa told reporters, stressing that model launches will build recovery momentum market by market. “The next step is to build on that foundation,” he said. Nissan plans to announce a new business plan and strategy in February that will go beyond its current restructuring plan.
The automaker, which makes the Rogue sport utility vehicle, Z sports car and Infiniti luxury models, is allied with Renault SA of France and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. of Japan. It also maintains a partnership with Japanese rival Honda Motor Co., sharing technology and some parts.
Sources
- Japanese automaker Nissan reduces red ink, vows to return to profit for full year
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- Japanese automaker Nissan reduces red ink and vows to return to profit for the full year
- Nissan pares car sales forecast on tougher China competition
Photo: VOX Congreso (CC0)
