PODCAST: What closure of Nissan Rosslyn plant means for Mzansi

The Nissan plant in Rosslyn outside Pretoria faces closure in the Japanese carmaker’s desperate attempt to cut its global losses.

The local factory is one of seven global assembly facilities on the chopping block as Nissan plans to reduce its plants from 17 to 10 by 2027.

The plant has been in operation since 1966 and apart from direct job losses, its closure will have an indirect impact on two other manufacturers, BMW and Ford, which also have factories in Pretoria.

In this week’s episode of The Citizen Motoring’s Pitstop podcast, we look at what the closure of the Nissan plant will mean for the brand in South Africa.

Nissan plant in Rosslyn under-utilised

Since the discontinuation of the Nissan NP200, only the Navara bakkie has been built in Rosslyn, leaving the factory underutilised. While there has been talk about the possibility of assembling an SUV alongside the Navara, the company’s global restructuring plan, Re:Nissan, indicates otherwise.

The manufacturer announced this month that it plans to reduce its global workforce by a further 20 000 jobs on top of 9 000 last year. This follows an R82.2-billion revenue loss for the 2024 financial year.

Reports indicate other Nissan plants facing the chop include the Oppama and Shonan plants in Japan, the Santa Isabel plant in Argentina, the Chennai plant in India and one of three factories in Mexico.

ALSO READ: Reports claim Rosslyn to be one of Nissan’s plants facing closure

Patrol, two new SUVs coming

The Nissan plant in Rosslyn builds Navaras for the local market and sub-Saharan Africa. If the Rosslyn plant closes, Nissan is likely to import the Navara from Thailand.

Nissan South Africa announced in March that the new Patrol and two new Indian-built SUVs derived from Renault products are due to arrive in 2026. Renault and Mitsubishi are Nissan’s two alliance partners.