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Nissan CEO admits brand is doomed without an outside investor
Nissan's downward spiral continues, this time with the CEO himself confirming the brand needs outside investors in order to survive.
Nissan has had a rocky couple of years, but things really began to spiral downward for the Japanese automaker in the second half of 2024. It was then that Nissan executives stated the brand likely won’t survive 2025. Now the Japanese automaker’s head honcho has gone on the record confirming that Nissan will not survive without outside investors.
Honda could invest in Nissan - with one major condition
The Honda-Nissan merger was hot news when it was first announced as a potential solution to Nissan’s plight. That plan didn’t pan out, with Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida concerned about whether Nissan would remain independent if the company became a subsidiary.
“We were unable to have confidence in how much Nissan’s independence will be ensured and whether our potential will be fully brought out if Nissan becomes Honda’s wholly owned subsidiary,” Uchida stated in a news conference. Bloomberg/Getty Images
It turns out Honda might not be entirely out of the running, though. According to Nikkei Business, the Japanese automaker is still open to investing in Nissan, which could lead to a larger collaboration with Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Foxconn. Should Honda invest, Uchida would need to resign as Nissan’s CEO.
Uchida has led the Nissan brand since 2019, but he’s already stated that he wouldn’t stand in the way of Nissan’s nomination committee, shareholders, and board of directors. The nomination committee reportedly plans to meet March 6th to discuss the next steps. If Uchida is forced to step down, Nissan CFO Jeremy Papin could take over until a new CEO takes the helm.
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Nissan has gone from $2.5B net profit to $536 million net loss
Nissan’s struggles in the past fiscal year, which ends in March, have been well documented. The automaker initially projected a $2.5 billion net profit back in May 2024. Most recently, Uchida told shareholders to expect a $536 million net loss at the end of March.
Like Volkswagen (and other legacy automakers), Nissan’s struggles stem from falling sales in China. The Japanese automaker saw sales fall by 24% in 2023, and they aren’t expected to improve for the 2024 fiscal year. In an effort to right the ship, Nissan cut its global capacity by 20% and laid off 9,000 employees. Additionally, Uchida cut his salary in half. Nissan
Nissan could experience more problems in the United States as the Trump administration continues to threaten to implement tariffs on Mexican exports. Nissan produces several vehicles in Mexico, and around 300,000 more models are scheduled for export to the United States before the end of Nissan’s fiscal year.
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Mitsubishi could be cutting its losses
When Honda and Nissan were discussing setting up a joint holding company back in December, Mitsubishi had stated they would consider joining the group. Now that those talks have collapsed, the Japanese automaker could be cutting its losses by limiting its reliance on Nissan. 
The next-generation Mitsubishi Outlander, the brand’s best-selling model in the United States, reportedly won’t use a Nissan-Renault platform. The current Mitsubishi Outlander rides on the same platform as the Nissan Rogue.
The move comes as Nissan’s struggles continue to mount, and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance gets shakier. The Outlander was refreshed for the 2025 model year, so shifting to a new platform won’t happen quickly. Mitsubishi is slated to redesign its best-selling nameplate for the 2027 model year.
Final thoughts
It’s one thing to hear that Nissan may not survive 2025 from unnamed executives, but it’s a whole different ball game when it comes from the company’s CEO. While Uchida may have been concerned about Nissan’s independence, it can be argued that independence is what landed them in this position to begin with. Frankly, his assertion Nissan should remain independent after going from a projected $2.5 billion net profit to $536 million net loss in the same fiscal year is astounding.
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