Japan Today
business

Questions loom for Nissan in post-Ghosn era

40 Comments
By Yuri Kageyama

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.


40 Comments
Login to comment

Oh, what a big surprise. Ghosn is actually important for Nissan. Arrogant, ignorant and jealous underlings....

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Carlos Ghosn was the messiah who rescued Nissan from its certain death and restored it back to health.

Ungrateful Japanese managers backstabbed Ghosn and decided to kick out gaijins to make Nissan wholly Japanese again, no more gaijins telling Japanese what to do.

The end result is Nissan unraveling and going back to bankruptcy again, this is what Nissan deserves after betrayal.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

Nissan killer Saikawa after cost killer Ghosn.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Nissan's vehicle sales in Japan tumbled 18% in March compared to a year earlier, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Nissan's overall sales fell 10% in the first quarter. In the U.S., Nissan's first quarter sales fell 12%,

The company recently has lost several other strong executives, including Jose Munoz, a Ghosn ally who had been Nissan's chief performance officer and has moved to Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. Nissan's Executive Vice President Daniele Schillaci, in charge of global marketing and zero-emission vehicles, left to become chief executive at Italian brake-maker Brembo

So Saikawa can be expected to rebuild all of those again?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Womp womp. I'm playing the world's tiniest violin. I'm giving them a year atleast before China swoops in.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Bought my last Nissan 8 years ago. Emphasis on LAST. Hello Honda or Toyota. Not saying Carlos is innocent, just don't like how the case is being handled.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

I forsee incompetent Nissan executives whinning on and on, and they will try to blame all of their problems on Ghosn.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Leaf, now the best-selling pure electric car

It seems that Leaf is actually #3, after Tesla Model 3, and a Chinese vehicle...

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18236707/tesla-model-3-2018-best-selling-ev-global

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Even if Ghosn is 100% guilty..... how did Nissan let this happen?

11 ( +13 / -2 )

The scandal remains a distraction and several Nissan executives, including Saikawa, have been called in for questioning by prosecutors. The CEO has dodged calls for his resignation, saying getting the automaker back on track is his priority.

How do we know he was called for questioning. He might have been called to have coffee with the prosecutors and discuss how to put Ghosn away.

Dodged calls to resign from how many people, it is not like a large group of shareholders are calling him to resign.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

.

Saikawa has to go. He is entirely incompetent and clearly not providing the leadership and vision required.

.

.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

And, what will happen to Nissan when Ghosn is acquitted and sues the pants off Nissan for taking away a year of his life?

I know many people and companies both in Japan and abroad who have already boycotted Nissan for the underhanded and childish way they ousted Ghosn.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

He has hired a strong legal team, vowing to clear his name. It will likely be months before his trial begins.

Why does it take so long? Do they still need to gather evidence? Can he not jumpstart his trial from his side? That would make the prosecutors rush more to get everything ready because it's ridiculous how long it takes.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

.

The problem is Ghosn placed these milquetoast Yes-men ( like Saikawa) around him at Nissan- so there is no one capable to take the helm at Nissan.

Clearly, Ghosn did not have that absolute sway with Renault where Jean-Dominique Senard , Chairman of Renault and Thierry Bolloré, CEO, have seamlessly replaced Ghosn, showing he is not indispensable !

.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

The fools, they locked up the wrong man.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

The only chance for Nissan to survive, is to trade their way out with world class cars. I would like to see many more Nissan cars with all-electric powertrain. An Electric GTR, for example, should be put on market ASAP. It would be a sales winner like LEAF, and unbeatable on the road!

The only way for Nissan to survive is to lead the world in EVs across the range.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Nissan's vehicle sales in Japan tumbled 18% in March compared to a year earlier, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

GOOD! They deserve it.

I know many people and companies both in Japan and abroad who have already boycotted Nissan for the underhanded and childish way they ousted Ghosn.

Hearing that makes me happy.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Well Renault has again renewed efforts to merge Nissan under a holding company structure, who will the prosecutors arrest now ?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Yes, Nissan behind the steering-wheel of its CEO is heading for 1999 again!!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@mrtinjp

Well Renault has again renewed efforts to merge Nissan under a holding company structure, who will the prosecutors arrest now ?

Ghosn.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Reap what you sow!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

By their fruits ye shall know them.

Or lack thereof...

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Nissan has logged 9.2 billion yen ($83 million) in costs from alleged underreporting of Ghosn's compensation.

Are these compensation liabilities actually going to be paid then?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Who knows who is telling the truth.

Whatever the truth actually is, I doubt it will be the end of Nissan.

To speak of the company hurtling towards 1999 is premature. Corporate incompetence, yes. But corporate suicide? Nah.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Nissan has logged 9.2 billion yen ($83 million) in costs from alleged underreporting of Ghosn's compensation.

Are these compensation liabilities actually going to be paid then?

No doubt a J-Judge will just rubber stamp anything Nisan demands, dispite the fact he has not even been found guilty yet, and dispite the fact it is probably way too much money anyway. (Japanese law is a scam, where foriegners are concerned).

I will never buy Nissan again (and have persuaded others not to), in fact I will be avoiding Japanese altogether wheneber I can even if Japan reforms it's law. I don't like Pearl Harbour tactics.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

My wife is in contact with a fairly 'higher up' Nissan employee. I know that the Ghosn debacle is wonderful drama, but according to my wife's source, many rank and file Nissan employees were (a) unhappy that France called a disproportionate amount of the decisions (considering that the majority of the profits were generated by Nissan) (b) afraid of what might happen to their jobs should the 'merger' (what they deemed a 'takeover' by Renault) with Renault occur and (c) what type of manufacturing agreement would Renault be negotiating with China.

A merger is rarely an easy thing to accomplish and many, many a 'turf war' is fought behind the scenes. This particular turf war was detailed in the tabloids.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@ Muratafan!

,

Good points!

Yes, indeed, there was a lot of turbulence beneath the surface @ Nissan for some time before Ghosn's mismanagement of moneys was exposed.

But , unlike other multi - national corporations silent 'turf wars' , the N R M 'alliance' has become a Soap Opera.

.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is exactly what I thought that would happen, I did predict or suspect that profits will tumble, I am glad that they have, you should not bit the hand that feeds you, since Mr Ghosan has rescued Nissan he should not have been treated like he has.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

saikawa is good at blaming anybody, lets see him makes excuses now. Bad sales is very normal for this level of people. Talk is easy, blaming is easy but lets see saikawa makes profit and sales goes up. I for one will not buy anything Nissan with saikawa at the helm. Good luck to Nissan. Another 20 years like Carlos have done in track record please.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The Nissan profit decline began when Ghosn was still fully in control. It was Ghosn who hand picked Saikawa. Both facts suggest that Ghosn was not the brilliant manager that many seem to think he was.

The scandal involving faked inspections at Nissan happened when Ghosn was fully in control. Given his reputation for attention to detail, that means either that he knew what was going on and condoned it or that he was not paying attention.

I would also note that neither Renault nor the French government has given Ghosn substantive support. Further, Ghosn was hated by Renault workers. If you read French, you can easily find statements by French workers that they are happy to see the Japanese keep him locked up.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Nissan is capable of doing it all on their own.

Renault needs Nissan just as Nissan may have needed Renault to start the penetration into the markets they may have a difficult time in the past. It has worked both ways and probably more for France and Renault than for Nissan, from all indications.

It is time for Nissan to just take that step and wake up...

In any case they must first adjust and change their "staffing" and "hiring" philosophy and practices. There are many capable young Japanese that may not have the so called "elite" school education and desired family background.

They took a chance with a foreign one, now take a chance with a Japanese one. Even a person totally distant from the auto industry may become a world class leader for Nissan. The point is, Nissan already knows trhe market. It is the people that buy autos.... Get some one that knows the people that are buying and not necessarily those connected with the current established markets and political world.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

AS ,long as they make the Z and the GTR (especially the GTR-50) they are ok in my books.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is funny how the posters condemning Nissan write like real people, yet the people supporting Nissan write like professional writers. They read like professional commercials. What a scam! LOL!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Leaf, now the best-selling pure electric car

It seems that Leaf is actually #3, after Tesla Model 3, and a Chinese vehicle...

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/22/18236707/tesla-model-3-2018-best-selling-ev-global

Author points out the the LEAF, since 2010 has over 400,000 units sold.

https://www.engadget.com/2019/03/05/nissan-leaf-first-ev-to-top-400000-sales/

0 ( +0 / -0 )

May Nissan get its due.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I wonder if Nissan will head back to where it was before Ghosn. They will clearly blame any defects upon him - such as the over-reported battery life/distance issue. But when they loose creative steam again, who, from outside of Japan - unless mentally unstable, will wish to take up the helm ? ... ok no Donald Trump jokes ...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

senkan, thanks for the info.

It seems the writer of this Ghosn article should have said 'Leaf is the top-selling', for total sales,

rather than 'best-selling', which refers to popularity/annual sales... where Tesla is #1.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If Ghosn wins his case they will have to give him his job back and reparations on top of losing all that money. Anyone involved in that debacle is going to get merc'd at the end of the day. There is no way in hell that he would get away with doing a ton of crazy stuff unless people that were planning his demise let him do it so they could do this. They unfortunately did not think about the consequences of their decisions on the world stage. Once Chinese manufacturers quality and their electric cars get beefed up by Tesla then Nissan is going to get wiped out. You can already see it coming.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Big blander, losing millions to Ghosn but dibatable or under prove, while losing billions after Ghosn kick out from the helm. The company should keep that problem first within the circle of company operations prior blown up to proportions. The issues make big damages to company in billions, rather than good and it to late to realized.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites