Nissan Unveils Streamlined Lineup and Tech Shift, Skyline Returns After 14 Years

On April 14, Nissan Motor unveiled its future product strategy, announcing that the Skyline model will return to the market after a 14-year hiatus. The Skyline lineage dates back to 1957, and its high-performance variant has carried the GT-R badge since the third generation launched in 1969. Nissan plans to reduce its global lineup from 61 models to 45, phasing out low-volume models and exiting certain niche segments to concentrate resources on areas with high growth potential. All vehicles will be grouped into four categories: Heartbeat, Core, Growth, and Alliance models. The company is shifting away from its previous “model-by-model optimization” approach and instead promoting greater sharing of platforms, powertrains, and software across the group. Nissan aims to cover more than 80% of its global sales through three core product series, increase individual model sales by 30%, and accelerate its development cycle. The company targets annual sales exceeding one million units each in both the U.S. and Chinese markets by fiscal year 2030. In terms of intelligent technologies, Nissan plans to equip 90% of its models with AI-powered driver-assistance systems. The first vehicle featuring this system will be the Elgrand MPV, launching in Japan in summer 2024. By the end of fiscal year 2027, Nissan’s ProPilot driver-assistance system will offer end-to-end autonomous driving capabilities.