Nissan has been going through quite a lot these past couple of years. But this time around, there might be sweeping changes ahead. That’s because current CEO Makoto Uchida will be stepping down from his present role, effective April 1, 2025.
Taking Uchida’s place will be Ivan Espinosa. Espinosa is the current chief planning officer for Nissan Motor Corporation. The incoming CEO has been with Nissan for over 20 years, starting out as a product planning specialist for Nissan Mexico.
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Espinosa’s appointment means he will be Nissan’s fourth CEO in eight years. He will also be the first non-Japanese head since the arrest of Carlos Ghosn in 2018. Aside from his upcoming role as CEO, Espinosa will also be the representative executive officer and president of the company.
The changing of the guard comes weeks after Nissan rejected Honda’s proposal of a merger. At the time, Uchida said Honda wanted Nissan to become a ‘wholly-owned subsidiary,’ and was one of the main factors of the cancellation of the Memorandum of Understanding.
With that, it’s possible that merger talks could be on the table yet again, but it’s difficult to say with certainty if it will still push through. It was previously reported by various news sites that Honda is willing to restart negotiations if Uchida stepped down.
But either way, Espinosa has a lot on his hands. He faces the challenge of slowing down production, consolidating operations and facilities, and sales that desperately need a boost. At the same time, he will be at the help of the company as it prepares a new car onslaught in the coming years, one of which is a vital model for Asia and Oceania, the all-new Nissan Navara.
