Nissan’s Middle East slump widens

Nissan’s vehicle sales across the Middle East fell sharply in March as the war centred on Iran hit consumer demand, disrupted travel and darkened business sentiment across one of the carmaker’s stronger overseas markets. A report published on April 15 said Nissan’s sales in the region dropped to about half of pre-war levels, while overall regional sales were down 40 per cent for the month, according to Guillaume Cartier, the company’s chief performance officer. He said the decline ranged from 40 per cent to 60 per cent in some local markets.

The setback lands at a delicate moment for Nissan, which is already pursuing a broad restructuring under chief executive Ivan Espinosa. The company said this week it would cut its global model line-up from 56 to 45, expand the use of artificial intelligence-related driving technology across most vehicles, and press ahead with a recovery plan aimed at restoring margins after a prolonged period of weak performance in key markets. Nissan is due to provide fuller strategy details with its annual results on May 13.

For Nissan, the Middle East had been one of the more reliable pockets of demand within its sprawling Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania business. Company statements in late 2024 pointed to double-digit sales growth in the Middle East during the first half of that financial year, helped by network expansion and customer demand across Gulf, Levant and wider regional markets. That makes the March reversal more than a routine monthly wobble; it suggests a geopolitical shock strong enough to interrupt a market that had been supporting the group’s wider overseas business.

The broader regional picture points in the same direction. Consumer-facing sectors across the Gulf and nearby markets have been hit by a steep fall in mall traffic, weaker tourism flows and a more cautious spending mood since the conflict escalated after U. S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Retail sales in major UAE malls fell heavily in March, with some locations recording drops of 30 per cent to 50 per cent and visitor numbers at Dubai Mall falling by about half. Luxury groups have also flagged a marked weakening in Middle East demand, with Hermès reporting that mall sales in March slumped 40 per cent.

Cars are especially exposed to that kind of shock because they sit at the intersection of household confidence, financing conditions and mobility. When conflict disturbs air travel, raises fuel costs and unsettles expatriate as well as tourist spending, large discretionary purchases are often among the first to be delayed. Europe is already bracing for jet fuel shortages linked to the disruption of Middle East supply routes, while airlines have warned of higher costs and more fragile booking patterns. Those pressures feed into a wider sense of uncertainty that weighs on showroom traffic even when supply itself remains intact.

Cartier’s remarks also suggest the weakness is demand-led rather than caused by a shortage of vehicles. That distinction matters. For most of the past five years, global carmakers have been periodically hit by supply bottlenecks, from semiconductors to shipping snarls. What Nissan is describing in the Middle East is different: buyers are stepping back. That makes forecasting harder, because the pace of recovery depends less on factory output and more on whether regional households, fleet buyers and businesses regain confidence quickly enough to resume purchases.

The company’s challenge is that it has little room for another external blow. Espinosa’s restructuring plan is intended to simplify the business, sharpen model choices and focus on profitability rather than volume alone. Yet the Middle East decline shows how vulnerable even a targeted turnaround can be when geopolitical upheaval collides with consumer markets. A 40 per cent monthly regional drop is manageable if it proves brief. If it stretches beyond March, it risks undermining one of the areas where Nissan had expected steadier support while it rebuilds in larger but more fiercely contested markets such as China and the United States.