Nissan‘s board will meet on March 11 to discuss potential successors for CEO Makoto Uchida, whose leadership has come under fire due to the automaker’s deteriorating performance.
Among the candidates under consideration are Chief Financial Officer Jeremie Papin, Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa, and Chief Performance Officer Guillaume Cartier. However, neither are viewed as definitive choices due to their share of responsibility for Nissan’s current struggles. Some board members are considering appointing a temporary, transitional CEO to grant more time to search and identify a sufficient long-term replacement.
Uchida’s potential ousting follows the termination of merger talks with Honda. The $60 billion merger would create the world’s third-largest automotive group by sales volume, but it fell apart amid leadership clashes due to Honda’s proposal to make Nissan a subsidiary.
The failed merger has prompted speculation that Nissan may explore other partnerships, including a potential deal with Taiwanese giant Foxconn.
Nissan’s leadership turmoil marks the latest chapter in a series of crises since the ousting of former chairman Carlos Ghosn in 2018, making this the company’s fourth CEO change in less than six years. The automaker has struggled to recover from years of mismanagement, prioritizing volume over brand value and misjudging hybrid demand in the United States. Adding salt to the wound, Fitch Ratings downgraded Nissan to “junk” status last month, citing persistent low profitability and an uncertain turnaround plan.
The March 11 board meeting is expected to be pivotal in determining the company’s next steps as Nissan navigates intensifying competition from Chinese EV makers, potential U.S. tariffs on vehicles manufactured and imported from Mexico, and a leadership vacuum that threatens to further destabilize the automaker.
