Nissan sold 207,162 vehicles globally in August 2026, a 17.5% drop year over year across the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Japan was the only bright spot, up 9.7% to 27,810 units, while overseas sales fell more than 20% to 179,352 units.

The August collapse extends a grim eight-month run. Global sales for January through August declined more than 9% to 1,932,725 units, with Japan edging up to 280,917 and overseas markets down 11% to 1,651,808.

Where the sales losses are concentrated

The regional breakdown shows steep erosion in Nissan's two largest Asian markets and a mixed picture in North America:

• China: sales down 27% to 289,410 units year-to-date
• Europe: down 12% to 199,424 units
• North America: down 2% to 881,860 units, with the US off slightly at 640,882
• Canada: down 15% to 67,220 units
• Mexico: down 1.5% to 173,758 units

China's 27% decline now makes it the single biggest drag on the company's global volume base, a shift with direct consequences for Nissan's Chinese joint-venture production footprint.

Production is migrating to US plants

The production data tells a different story than the sales data — and a strategically significant one. Global output fell 11% to 1,700,352 units in the first eight months, excluding vehicles built this year by the former joint venture Renault Nissan Automotive India. Domestic output rose 1% to 380,465 units, while overseas production fell 14% to 1,319,887.

Beneath that headline, a sharp reallocation is underway. US production surged 24% to 397,090 units, while output in Mexico plunged 25% to 340,683 units. Nissan continued shifting production to the US in response to the Trump administration's trade policies, making Mexico the swing loser in the rebalancing.

The other regional production moves:

• China: output down 32% to 255,601 units
• UK: output rebounded 16% to 172,446 units
• Japan: up 1% to 380,465 units

For plant planners, the pattern is clear: US assembly operations are absorbing volume at a double-digit growth rate even as total global output shrinks, meaning US plants are gaining share of a smaller Nissan production pie.

What the export numbers confirm

Japanese export data reinforces the tariff-driven logic. Exports from Japan rose more than 5% to 227,220 units year-to-date, driven almost entirely by North America: shipments there surged over 22% to 110,462 units, while exports to all other markets combined fell 6% to 115,658 units.

Nissan is effectively running a two-track response to US trade policy — building more in American plants and shipping more from Japan — while cutting Mexican and Chinese output steeply.

What to watch next

The open question is whether the 24% surge in US output and the 22% jump in Japan-to-North America exports can offset a sales base eroding at 9% globally. Watch the September and October monthly reports for signs that the production shift has stabilized, whether Mexico output bottoms out, and whether China's 27% sales decline forces further capacity decisions at Nissan's Chinese joint ventures.