Nissan to close factory in Thailand

Japanese automaker Nissan has announced plans to close one of its two automobile factories in Thailand this year, following the collapse of merger talks with Honda.

Both of Nissan’s Thai factories are located in a single facility in Samut Prakan province.

In a statement on Friday, a day after the planned $60 billion partnership deal fell through, Nissan announced plans to cut operating costs through expense management, workforce reductions, and plant closures.

The company expects to cut or transfer about 1,000 jobs in Thailand and stated that reducing operating expenses by around JPY 400 billion ($2.62 billion) in the 2026 fiscal year will help maintain a stable operating profit margin of 4%.

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said the move aims to boost efficiency in cost management, revenue growth, and competitiveness to meet customer demand.

Starting with factories in Thailand and the U.S., the plant closures will cut Nissan’s workforce by 6,500 out of a total 9,000 planned job redundancies. Further manpower reductions will be made among 2,500 indirect employees worldwide.

The cuts will reduce Nissan’s global production capacity by 20%, from the current 5 million units to 4 million units by fiscal year 2026. The company said they should also boost plant utilization ratio to 85%, from today’s 70% – at least in its manufacturing facilities outside China.