- Nissan has appointed Ivan Espinosa as the new CEO
- Espinosa replaces Makoto Uchida, who has run Nissan since 2019
- Executive training is less than a month after the collapse of the merger talks with Honda
Nissan announced a number of management changes on Tuesday, including the appointment of Ivan Espinosa for the new CEO.
Espinosa will take on the role on April 1st and replace Makoto Uchida, which has managed the restless car manufacturer since 2019 Fight to drive a sensible gymnasium.
Uchida was under the increasing pressure to resign due to the deteriorating financial performance of Nissan and last month Failed merger talks with Honda. It remains unclear whether the appointment of Espinosa will revive these discussions or urgently needed investments from a new partner, although there were rumors that Honda wanted a replacement for Uchida for every chance of the merger talks.
Espinosa has been with Nissan since 2003 and spent a large part of his career in his home country Mexico and at the same time held important positions in Southeast Asia and Europe. Currently as Chief planning officer from Nissan, his promotion to CEO May May signal a new focus on product innovation Rather than pure profit maximization. Espinosa, a strong advocate of performance vehicles, has expressed the support for the revival of the Silvia sports car and may be the third dedicated power model from Nissan.
Ivan Espinosa
Other important changes to the managers Visit Eiichi Akashi, currently head of vehicle planning and component development that becomes Chief Technology Officer and replaced Kunio Nakaguro. Teiji Hirata, currently head of production technology and development, will take over the management of the production and supply chain and replace Hideyuki Sakamoto. Guillaume Cartier, Chief Performance Officer from Nissan, will take on an expanded role in monitoring global marketing and customer experience.
Espinosa takes over the reins in Nissan when the car manufacturer continues to carry out a turnaround strategy that was initiated last year. The plan calls for a 20% reduction in global production capacityBack from 5 million to 4 million vehicles annually. This step will lead to a reduction in workers by around 9,000 employees, to close three plants and to reduce shifts in other facilities, including some in the USA
In addition, Nissan announced a strategic review to examine potential new partnerships. Such a possibility is Taiwaner contract manufacturer FoxconnWhat confirmed in February that it was in discussions with Nissan.
Like many old car manufacturers, Nissan faces strong challenges, including the transition to electric vehicles, an increasing competition of Chinese car manufacturers and in recent times, Potential tariffs on vehicles It exports from Mexico to the USA.
