Nissan Cuts Vehicle Development Time 40% by Adopting Chinese Automaker Model

At an event held at its Yokohama headquarters, Nissan revealed that by adopting the research and development model of Chinese automakers, it has shortened the development cycle for all-new models from 50 months to 37 months, and for facelift models from 50 months to 30 months, a 40% acceleration. Nissan executive Kazuyuki Yamaguchi said the upcoming all-new Skyline took 26 months from project initiation to completion, compared with 55 months for the current model. In the past, Nissan pursued comprehensiveness in every aspect, which lengthened the planning and development cycle. The company has now shifted to prioritizing the refinement of core highlights, no longer producing multiple design proposals for each new model, and instead grouping models onto family platforms with shared hardpoints to shorten the design cycle.

The organizational structure has also been streamlined. Nissan has eliminated the previous framework in which each model had its own project director, product planning manager and chief engineer, replacing it with a structure led by the project director, with the chief engineer responsible for delivering the vehicle according to targets. On the technical front, Nissan has introduced AI modelling, digital twin and virtual reality technologies, conducting testing and validation in virtual environments to reduce the production of physical prototypes. Its advanced autonomous driving features allow engineers to conduct unattended overnight testing, further compressing development time.

Nissan said Chinese automakers can complete development of a new model in as little as 18 to 24 months. Yamaguchi noted that differences in work culture exist between the two countries, with Chinese teams able to work continuously around the clock, a schedule that Japan would find difficult to replicate.