Nissan is in the biggest crisis since the Lehman shock. For the first time, the auto maker writes again deep in the red. Now, the group wants to change its strategy. The aggressive expansion course of the once-Almighty and ousted Ex-boss Carlos Ghosn is over.

Yokohama (dpa) - Japanese Renault's Partner Nissan has slipped due to the Corona-pandemic for the first time in eleven years in the loss zone and wants to close its manufacturing plant in Barcelona.

As the scandal of the accused Ex-CEO Carlos Ghosn shocked the group announced on Thursday, fell at the balance sheet date on 31. In March, a violent loss of 671,2 billion Yen (5.7 billion euros). In the previous year, the group had retracted a profit of 319,1 billion Yen.

The global annual production capacities are to be reduced in the context of a until March 2024 ongoing "transformation plan" by 20 percent to 5.4 million cars. Nissan wanted to make because of the pandemic, for the moment, no forecast for the current fiscal year. "The future is still unclear," said Nissan's chief Makoto Uchida.

production in Europe will concentrate in the future on the British plant in Sunderland, it said. Details of the announced plant closure in Barcelona did not want to call Uchida, you must now speak with the trade unions and the Spanish government. In Barcelona the protests of Nissan workers. On TV burning tyres and furniture in front of the car plant were to be seen. Workers also blocked a highway. You will fight "until the end", quoted the newspaper "La Vangardia" one of the workers.

The production to a halt since the beginning of may because of a strike for the continuation of the plant largely. The General Secretary of the trade Union USOC, Maria Recuero, accused Nissan, during the Corona-crisis of the existing economic problems and limitations of the protest to take advantage of opportunities to announce "a decision with disastrous consequences in anyway for the labour market already in serious times". The closure was "irresponsible". Similar voices came from the policy. In addition to the 3000 jobs at Nissan around a further 20,000 jobs from the plant depend, according to the Spanish television.

Nissan wants to focus on its core strengths. Priority to have sustained growth and profitability. So Nissan wants to reduce the models, and from now on, certain regions, in particular Japan, China and USA. The production in Indonesia will be relocated to Thailand. In addition, Nissan is pulling out of South Korea.

in order for Nissan to be adopted definitively by the strategy of the once celebrated and deep ousted Ex-boss, Ghosn, targeting on high-heel. "We are to admit our past mistakes and correct us, to get on the right path," said Uchida, the six months on half his salary.

The scandal of Ghosn had added the Nissan brand serious damage. Ghosn had once saved Nissan in front of the middle Bust and the Alliance of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi forged. But then he plunged the Alliance into a severe crisis because of the once Almighty car Manager was taken the end of 2018, in Japan, among others, for allegations that he had violated stock exchange requirements, fixed. Ghosn later escaped under dubious circumstances in the Lebanon.

Nissan tried since then, Polish its Image. But then, the Corona-pandemic followed. Nissan's global production fell in April to 62.4 percent, and sales rose by 41.6 percent. The turnover decreased in the past fiscal year by 14.6 percent, compared with 9.88 trillion Yen.

The day before, had given the Alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors a change in their strategy. Profitability and billions of dollars in cost reductions are now in the foreground. With better cooperation, the cost for a new car could sink models by up to 40 percent. The new strategy draws on leadership roles of the respective partners for vehicle categories, technologies and regions. So Nissan is supposed to be for self-driving vehicles responsible.

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the New strategic plan of Nissan