Carlos Ghosn steps down as Nissan CEO

As of April 1, 2017, Nissan will have a new CEO. Replacing Carlos Ghosn, will be Hiroto Saikawa the current co-CEO of the Nissan Motor Company. Carlos Ghosn will continue to however be on the board of directors of the Nissan Motor Company as well as the head of the Renault Nissan Alliance. 

Carlos Ghosn will also continue to be the chairman of Mitsubishi which the Renault Nissan Alliance acquired 34 percent stake of in 2016. The Mitsubishi move was spearheaded by Carlos Ghosn and under his chairmanship Mitubishi aims to regain its once dominant global position both in established and emerging markets. Where the alliance has used brands like Datsun for India as a sub brand to the alliance, Carlos Ghosn intends to use Mitsubishi as a entry level brand for the alliance in other markets globally developing small cars as a part of the fleet alongside the larger hybrid SUVs and crossovers that the Japanese maker currently concentrates on. Hopefully, a push in the right direction will also mean the global comeback of Mitsubishi’s legendary marques like the Lancer and the Galant with a more motorsport oriented approach.  

Speaking on the occasion, Carlos Ghosn stated, "I am confident that the management team I have developed at Nissan over the past 18 years has the talent and experience to meet the company's operational and strategic goals. Having recently taken on new responsibilities at Mitsubishi Motors, and taking into consideration the upcoming Nissan general shareholders meeting, I have decided that the time is right for Hiroto Saikawa to succeed me as Nissan's CEO. As Nissan's Chairman, I will continue to supervise and guide the company, both independently and within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. This planned change will also allow me to devote more time and energy to managing the strategic and operational evolution and expansion of the Alliance and ensuring that all its members benefit from the competitive advantages that its scale will deliver. I am committed to supporting the Alliance as it evolves and expands, and will continue to serve each member of the Alliance wherever and whenever necessary"

Carlos Ghosn was instrumental in Nissan and Datsun’s existence in India. The Datsun brand for example was key to the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s growth in the country and the redi-Go, Datsun’s latest product for India has been showing decent sales figures. 

Carlos Ghosn was also very instrumental in Nissan’s V-platform development on which the likes of the Nissan Micra/Renault Pulse and the Nissan Sunny/Renault Scala are based. The V Platform was developed for the LHD and RHD market and could accommodate petrol and diesel engines. The platform, being scalable, also meant that a host of cars could be manufactured on it including the likes of the sedan, hatchback or crossover. The V Platform was manufactured in India and exported globally as the demand in the international market seemed to be far greater than in India. 

Carlos Ghosn is also instrumental in bringing the Renault Nissan alliance into existence, a move without which both Renault and Nissan would be in severe financial trouble today. The shraed technology, platform and expertise has meant larger market penetration (especially in emerging markets) and a better use of resources. The Mitsubishi integration into the alliance as we mentioned earlier will be a key step for the future and with Carlos Ghosn at the helm, we can expect some bold moves.