(Yicai) Jan. 14 -- Sales of Japanese automaker Nissan in China have declined for seven consecutive years, and the drop has continuously expanded in the period.

Nissan China’s sales fell 6.3 percent to 653,000 units last year from the previous one, with the total decline nearing 60 percent since the peak in 2018, according to data recently released by the company.

Nissan’s global sales shrank 3 percent to 3.35 million units in 2024, and they are expected to further narrow 2.9 percent to 3.25 million units in 2025, mainly because of the negative performance of the Chinese market, Chief Executive Officer Ivan Espinosa said last May.

In China, Nissan has always relied on internal combustion engine vehicles as the main sales driver, which is diverging from the market’s electrification and intelligence development direction, according to analysts.

Despite Nissan placing great importance on intelligence, its proprietary technology lacks competitiveness in the Chinese market. The carmaker attempted to cooperate with Baidu’s robotaxi service Apollo Go to develop autonomous driving systems, but the collaboration remained at a superficial level and has not yet brought about any benefits.

During the 40th anniversary celebration of Nissan’s entry into China last October, the company announced that it would hand over development authority to its Chinese team, shorten research and development cycles, and increase investment in new energy vehicles, with plans to launch 10 NEV models by the end of 2027.

Nissan China then began collaborating with Huawei Technologies, with new models featuring the HarmonyOS-powered cockpit, reducing the number of suppliers, and exploring incorporating Chinese suppliers into Nissan’s manufacturing ecosystem outside of China to boost performance.

Editor: Futura Costaglione