For his first speaking as CEO of Nissan, Makoto Uchida has reaffirmed his commitment to the Alliance he wants to develop and strengthen.
Makoto Uchida , the new CEO of Nissan, on Monday, December 2, 2019, praised the virtues of the Alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors, which should become ” stronger “, while preserving the independence of the Japanese manufacturer, who has great difficulties. The Alliance has ” greatly contributed ” to Nissan’s renewed growth in the early 2000s, he said at his first press conference as General Manager at the group’s headquarters in Yokohama.
However, Nissan had ended up ” creating a corporate culture that forced employees to say” it’s possible “when it was not, ” he said, without throwing the stone at Carlos Ghosn , the former boss of the group and the Alliance, arrested and then indicted in Japan a year ago for alleged financial malpractice. This pressure had pushed Nissan to favor short-term growth at the expense of investments for its future, added Makoto Uchida.
Wishing to set ” ambitious but achievable ” goals , the new boss stated his intention to ” continue the efforts ” of his group in the Alliance on the basis of ” transparency, trust and mutual respect, while preserving the Nissan’s independence . ” The Alliance must be beneficial to all three partners, we need to develop and strengthen it, ” added Nissan’s new strongman, who was responsible for the Alliance’s procurement from 2016 to 2018 before steer- China.
On the question of a redesign of capital relations between Renault and Nissan, a source of tension for years between French and Japanese who has resurfaced after the shattering eviction of Carlos Ghosn, Makoto Uchida has meant that it was not the subject at the moment.
Nissan profits and sales are currently at half-mast, penalized by the slowdown in the global automotive market but also by the lack of renewal of its models and the end of its incentives to support its volumes. The group also initiated this year a major restructuring of its production capacity, with a view to reducing them by 10% by the end of March 2023, which implies the elimination of 12,500 jobs worldwide.
Makoto Uchida did not disclose new details about these restructurings but reiterated that the fixed costs should be ” more strictly controlled ” to favor R & D and the launch of new models. He also said ” sincerely sorry ” for the violent turbulence that Nissan has seen for two years, a scandal of certifications of its new vehicles in Japan until the storm at the top of the group, setbacks that have damaged both its reputation as its financial performance. ” I want our employees to feel proud to work at Nissan, and if we succeed, we will regain the trust of our customers, ” he said. (with AFP )