Nissan fires CEO Makoto Uchida over failed Honda merger, Ivan Espinosa takes over

The iconic Japanese automaker has sensationally fired its CEO as talk of Nissan’s imminent collapse continues to gather pace.

Speculation Nissan’s rumoured collapse is drawing closer has been further ignited after its embattled chief executive was shown the door.

Makoto Uchida was sacked by Nissan on Tuesday after the brand failed to secure a merger with Honda that would have ensured its survival.

The company announced Uchida’s exit at the same time the Japanese automaker revealed chief planning officer Ivan Espinosa would take his place as part of sweeping cuts across its boardroom.

Espinosa is the fourth executive to lead the company in six years following the sensational arrest – and escape – of enigmatic chief executive Carlos Ghosn in 2018.

MORE: Honda’s wild Nissan ultimatim

Nissan motor president and CEO Makoto Uchida will part ways with the company on April 1. Photo: Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP

The troubled company made global headlines in November when whistleblowers revealed that the company might not survive another 12 months.

Nissan announced plans to merge with Honda in December, but the Japanese giants stepped away from the negotiating table in February when they could not reach a compromise.

Leaks to business publications suggested Nissan’s Uchida could not stomach his brand being the junior partner in any joint venture, and that Honda did not want to deal with him any longer.

MORE: Nissan, Honda end merger talks

Nissan chief executive Ivan Espinosa. Picture: Supplied

A statement released by Nissan today said the company prepared “a significantly renewed leadership line-up to achieve the company’s short- and midterm objectives while positioning it for long-term growth”.

Espinosa has close ties to Australia following a role leading the company in South East Asia, where the Nissan Navara ute is a key model.

The manufacturer’s new management comes into effect on April 1, the first day of the new financial year in Japan.

Other high-profile exits include Kunio Nakaguro (chief technology officer), Hideyuki Sakamoto (manufacturing and supply chain management), Asako Hoshino (chief brand and customer officer) and Hideaki Watanabe (strategy and corporate affairs).

The brand is preparing to launch important new models in Australia including a successor to the Nissan Patrol four-wheel-drive, and a rival to Tesla’s Model Y SUV in the Nissan Ariya.

Nissan is also chipping away at a successor to the GT-R supercar which recently ceased production.

MORE: Nissan claims it is ‘here to stay’

Espinosa and Uchida planned on delivering a new range of electric vehicles unveiled at the Tokyo motor show in 2023. Photo: Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP

Speaking with News Corp in 2019, Espinosa said the brand was investigating the possibility of whether customers are ready for electric supercars, and that “there are petrolhead buyers who are still 100 per cent not there”.

Originally published as Nissan fires CEO Makoto Uchida over failed Honda merger, Ivan Espinosa takes over