Nissan cuts Chinese petrol car output as electric demand accelerates

Nissan is scaling back petrol car production in China after falling behind a faster-than-expected shift towards electric and hybrid vehicles. The move matters because it highlights the pressure on global carmakers to adapt to Chinese competitors and a market where demand and technology are changing rapidly.

The company cut its global sales forecast for the year to 2.97 million to 3 million cars, from 3.15 million. Nissan’s China sales fell 22% in the first half and 32% in the first nine months; it plans to reduce local petrol-car output and expand its electric and plug-in hybrid N-series models. By contrast, demand has been slower to shift towards electric cars in Japan and North America, while UK used-EV retail sales rose 56% year on year in October.