Nissan's new boss is a car guy, says Makoto Uchida

Nissan had one heck of a week. After initial reports stated that Makoto Uchida was set to be replaced as CEO of the embattled automaker, the Nissan board officially announced that Uchida was indeed stepping down.

Effective April 1, 2025, Nissan’s new CEO will be Ivan Espinosa, a 22-year veteran who has been with the brand since 2003. While some might say Espinosa may be in unfamiliar territory, he’s actually recognized by many within Nissan as a real car guy. 

This was confirmed by outgoing CEO Makoto Uchida who shared that Espinosa was indeed a car guy. The executive also mentioned that he is full of energy and is still in his 40s.

“Espinosa is still in his 40s and full of energy. He’s also a real car guy”, said Uchida.

Ivan Espinosa in 2011

Espinosa first joined Nissan back in October 2003 as a Product Specialist in product Planning for Nissan Mexico. He then went on to become the Manager of Product Planning for Nissan Mexico. In April 2006, he was promoted to General Manager for Product Planning & Marketing - LCV. He was then posted as Marketing Director and RPM for LCVs in ASEAN (Nissan Motor Thailand) in July 2008.

April 2009 saw Espinosa become the Deputy Overseas Program Director for ASEAN before eventually going back to Nissan Mexico as Director for Advanced and Product Planning for both Mexico and Latin America in April 2010. Four years later, He was appointed vice president for Product Strategy and Planning at Nissan International. Espinosa held this position for two years before moving to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. as Program Director for the D-segment.

In April 2017, he became the vice president of Global Product Strategy and Product Planning Division before eventually being promoted to the corporate vice president position at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Espinosa was then appointed as senior vice president for Global Product Strategy and Product Planning Division in December 2019. Not only did he handle Global Program Management but Espinosa also had a hand with NISMO during this time. He continued to hold this position and was also given the task of handling the brand’s Motorsports Business Unit in July 2023.

Finally, Ivan Espinosa was appointed as Chief Planning Officer at Nissan in April 2024 which saw him handle Global Product Planning, Global Program Management, and the brand’s Motorsports Business Unit.

With Espinosa set to officially take the reins from Uchida as Nissan CEO starting April 1, 2025, we’ll be curious as to how the executive will steer the ship amid the brand’s troubled financials. But given that he’s an enthusiast, perhaps Espinosa will be able to bring some fun back to the brand. Yes, Nissan has the Z but if it were up to him, he plans on introducing more performance-oriented vehicles since the GT-R has ridden off into the sunset. Espinosa also dreams of resurrecting the Silvia for the next generation.

Hopefully, Espinosa can get Nissan back on track as it continues to struggle with its finances.