
How Nissan cut tariff costs by $2.3 billion with its America-first strategy
Nissan has slashed its exposure to Trump’s tariffs, cutting costs by $2.3 billion in its last fiscal year, Automotive News has learned. [Gift link attached]
This marks a 61 percent decrease from the $3.8 billion in tariff costs the automaker faced at the beginning of the business year on April 1, 2025.
To achieve this reduction, Nissan boosted U.S. production and focused on selling vehicles manufactured domestically.
The company anticipates further lowering its tariff burden to $1 billion or less in the current fiscal year, which concludes next March.
Key takeaways :
- A greater proportion of U.S. sales now comes from vehicles assembled in Tennessee and Mississippi.
- Reliance on imported parts, particularly from China, has decreased.
- Imported vehicles accounted for 35 percent of Nissan brand sales in the first quarter, down from 43 percent a year earlier.
- The majority of tariff savings are attributed to higher output of U.S.-built models such as the Rogue, Pathfinder, and Frontier.
- Domestic production of U.S. sales volume increased by a third to 60 percent in fiscal 2025.
“Building where you sell eliminates many risks — tariffs, currency swings and supply chain issues,” Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier said. “For our most important market, maximizing U.S. production is critical.”