The dust at Nissan continues to swirl, but it might settle under the guidance of its newest CEO. Ivan Espinosa, who ascended to the title on March 11, plans on reinforcing the company’s US lineup (including the popular Rogue), cutting costs, and bringing a product-focused mindset to the brand. Espinosa’s Nissan is also seeking cost- and expertise-sharing partnerships (including with electronics manufacturer Foxconn), and rumors suggest it may even restart merger negotiations with Honda if it can mend the relationship with its Japanese neighbor.
Nissan
- Founded
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26 December 1933
- Founder
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Yoshisuke Aikawa
- Headquarters
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Nishi-ku, Yokohama
- Owned By
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Publicly Traded
The New Guy Is A Long-Time Nissan Product Expert
One of the key differentiators between the new CEO and other Nissan executives is that Espinosa comes from the product management track. He previously worked for the automaker’s Mexican operations and was a 10-year veteran of vehicle launches, auto shows, and Nismo racing operations. In contrast, both his predecessors, former CEOs Makoto Uchida and Hiroto Saikawa, came from the company’s purchasing operations, which according to Automotive News was a “bugbear for its R&D purists.”
Uchida named Espinosa as his successor by introducing him as a real car guy, and it seems that the automaker is bullish on his talent for identifying the key benefits of a Nissan product versus its competitors. That will come in handy as Espinosa attempts to shore up the company’s flagging sales in its two biggest markets, the US and China. Until it can roll out new product – including a plug-in hybrid Rogue crossover to match its Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV cousin – Nissan will shore up its financial situation by liquidating assets and cutting costs. Also on the chopping block? Members of management.
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A Fresh Start For The C-Suite
Alongside Espinosa, Nissan named Jeremie Papin the company’s chief financial officer, with Guillaume Cartier stepping up as the chief performance officer. The new executives represent a much younger, fresher point of view, especially as several other Nissan members of management step down. The company will also cull around 20 percent of its top leadership by the end of the month in order to free up the sticky gears of decision-making, eliminating outdated, unprofitable ideas.
And of course, the automaker is still looking for partners to help it navigate the software-defined vehicle era and streamline its vehicle development and production processes. Despite last month’s high-profile falling-out, it’s possible that Nissan will approach Honda on a renewed partnership – when Honda suggested it would make Nissan a subsidiary, the latter balked and talks abruptly ended. However, per Automotive News, the two will still work together on more defined, shorter-term projects like electrification and software technology.
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What Nissan Needs To Survive
Despite its turbulent history for the past half-decade, Nissan looks poised to return to its former successful state. With the “no brigade” gone and a purported enthusiast behind the wheel, the company under Espinosa might return to its former state as a manufacturer of competent, well-engineered vehicles that are marketed appropriately. And in our dreams, the “car guy” will also bring back some of the legendary, approachable fun that characterized Nissan in the 1980s and 1990s – a reborn Sentra SE-R, anyone?
Source: Automotive News
