The EU’s “Prospects for the Measures Needed to Build Industrial Capacity for Drop-in Advanced Biofuels” report, published in February 2024, reports that BEV adoption is slower than expected and that to achieve Fit for 55 the EU needs to focus on other sustainable carbon neutral fuels such as advanced biofuels The report also states that the EU needs to focus on other sustainable carbon neutral fuels such as advanced biofuels to achieve Fit for 55. Keeping up with the latest developments in the bioeconomy, how should Japanese companies respond to the use of biotechnology and the bioeconomy in the automotive industry?

Nissan aims to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire life cycle of its vehicles, including business activities, by 2050. As an intermediate milestone, we will introduce below our technological strategies and specific initiatives to achieve our CO2 reduction target as of 2030.

1. Nissan’s Carbon Neutral Initiatives
　(1) CO2 reduction targets and approaches as of 2030
　(2) Carbon neutral promotion system
(2) Reduction of CO2 emissions while driving
　(1) Evolution of EVs and e-POWER
Reduction of CO2 emissions during manufacturing
　(1) Reduction of CO2 emissions from battery manufacturing
　(2) Reduction of CO2 emissions from various materials (steel, aluminum, resin) (3) Introduction of renewable energy
4. Resource recycling
　(1) V2X and energy management (2) Battery resource recycling

Since last year, a mood of “EV stall” has been prevailing in the U.S. and European automobile industries. In China, where the rapid shift to EVs is occurring ahead of the rest of the world, the market appears to be slowing down, but is this a temporary phenomenon and will it continue to make rapid progress in the future? It is necessary to investigate the factors that are slowing down the shift to electrification in China, as well as the outlook for the future. This is not a peaceful situation, as the Chinese market share of Japanese cars has been reduced by half in just four years. What is happening in the Chinese operations of Japanese automakers, and will a focus on EVs and SDVs make a comeback for Japanese cars a reality? Utilizing information obtained on the ground in China, this report will provide an overview of the latest trends in the Chinese auto market and the shift to electrification from both the front and the back, and then look at the prospects for Japanese companies’ business in China.