Amid pending legal action against its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested last year on various financial misconduct charges, and the failing of Ghosn’s successor, Hiroto Saikawa, who stood down after a scandal of his own centred on dubious income, Nissan has appointed a new chief executive: Makoto Uchida.
Uchida, who is also Nissan’s president, has been thrown into the hot seat at a time of crisis for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, with sales and profits tumbling. He told reporters that he will emphasize transparency and work to restore the company’s credibility. He also stressed that the alliance with Renault and smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. must remain strong, with deepening cooperation while respecting each other’s independence “as equal partners”.
Analysts say that Nissan has fallen behind in product development, a problem dating back to the years under Ghosn. It’s up to the new leadership team to fix that.