Nissan has announced in a press release that Makoto Uchida will be stepping down as CEO on April 1, 2025. Uchida will be succeeded by current chief planning officer, Ivan Espinosa in the role, although he will still retain his position as director until the annual general meeting of shareholders, planned for June this year.
Aside from the changes at the top, Nissan’s Executive Committee will also see significant changes in personnel. The Japanese carmaker says that the changes are to help “achieve the company’s short- and mid-term objectives while positioning it for long-term growth”.
This is Nissan’s fourth change of leadership in less than six years, as the carmaker continues to battle poor sales and worsening financials. Uchida’s ouster, however, does carry a more heavy undertone, as it was one of Honda’s prerequisites to resuming merger talks, after the collapse in discussions less than a month ago.
Nissan and Honda originally signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last December for the purpose of exploring the possibility of a merger. This MoU was however terminated in February this year, with a joint press release citing differences in the companies’ proposal of structure post-merger.
Despite the change in leadership, it is still unclear if the new CEO appointment would put merger talks back on the table. Nissan has reportedly begun talks with other parties in a bid for survival, with Foxconn – the Taiwanese technology manufacturer – being a strong contender via its Foxtron electric vehicle subsidiary.
READ MORE: Not quite over yet – Honda is open to resume merger talks with Nissan, but only if their CEO leaves
