Nissan reduces petrol car production as EV sales boom in China

Manufacturer says ‘shift to new energy vehicles is happening faster than expected’ and market is harsh

The Japanese carmaker Nissan has said it has been caught out by accelerating sales of electric and hybrid cars in China amid a brutal price war in the world’s biggest automotive market.

The manufacturer slashed its sales forecasts for China and said it would cut back on petrol car manufacturing while increasing production of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, which combine a smaller battery with a petrol engine.

Nissan said it expected to sell between 2.97m and 3m cars this year, down from a previous forecast of 3.15m, mainly because of struggles in China.