Nissan has been in a rut in recent months even with the recent release of the all-new Sentra for the 2020 model year. The automaker is struggling with sales of the new model, while new products have apparently been slow to launch.
Following the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn in 2018, he was replaced by Hiroto Saikawa, who just resigned last month. Now that Makoto Uchida is preparing to lead the company, reports claim the automaker is working on a plan to revive its business in the United States by reducing costs and boosting revenue with new products and advanced technologies.
“Nissan has enjoyed growth over the years thanks to the alliance,” newly appointed CEO Uchida said at a recent press briefing. “I intend to continue our alliance efforts while maintaining Nissan’s independence.”
Aside from reviving its U.S. presence, Uchida sees the repair of Nissan’s relations with Renault as another top priority. And Uchida’s comments suggest that he understands what changes are necessary for the brand.
“By trying to hit over-ambitious goals, we caused a rapid decline in our performance,” he said. “We have to set objectives that are challenging but achievable and understandable.”
But most importantly, Uchida is putting the utmost priority on increasing profits. This involves consolidating the lineup, reducing global production capacity to 6.6 million vehicles a year, and cutting 12,500 jobs worldwide.
For the United States in particular, Nissan is planning to increase sales to 1.4 million vehicles in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. The automaker is also expecting a joint venture to be set up with Renault and Mitsubishi, which will be solely dedicated to next-generation technologies such as new platforms for future electric vehicles.
Nissan did not go into detail which vehicles are coming to America in the next few years. But the Nissan Rogue is expected to stay being the brand’s number one seller in the U.S., while the future is still unsure for the Maxima sedan whose sales continue to drop.
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