Other dates...

APRIL 15, 2000

As we reported on April 4th, Nissan plans to release a 2001 "20th Anniversary Limited Edition" Maxima SE this September. As we reported, the car will have a the I30's 227 bhp rating and prerequisite badging. We've received a few more details about this car; it will have bright polished 17" alloy wheels, bronze tinted headlamps, sporting a new spoiler and side sills, and come in highly chromatic blue paint.
   

APRIL 15, 2000

A few of you were upset when we confirmed that the 2002 Q45 would not look like the beautifully chiseled Japanese market Cedric and Gloria twins. Those people, and a lot more, were excited when we reported on March 20th, that Infiniti is working on a fire breather of it's own to challenge the Lexus GS400 and BMW 540i. Well, you will be surprised and overjoyed by what we have to say...

According to our source, apparently Infiniti has given the green light to a large sports sedan code-named "QE."  The car is basically an aggressive version of Nissan's well received Japanese market Gloria that will slot just under the new Q45. According to our source, the concept shown looks exactly like the Gloria with the exception of the prerequisite Infiniti logos and badges. Powering it will be a 4.5L V-8 with an estimated 330 bhp!

Infiniti's car line-up is sure going to grow with the "QE" and don't forget the other sedan that will be based on the XVL. Speaking of the XVL, word is that, at the New York Auto Show, Infiniti will enlighten us as to what will be the future of the car in the US. We of course. are counting the days.
 
  

APRIL 13, 2000

Nissan as part of it's Revival Program has announced finalized sales of two non-core assets; One being the sale of it's aerospace division to Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries. The transaction will close on July 1, 2000, pending regulatory and shareholders approvals, and terms of the sale were not disclosed at this point.

The other involves Nissan's holdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of Subaru. As we had reported a few months back, GM was in negotiations with Nissan to purchase the shares. The deal, which was originally scheduled to be completed on April 11, was made one day late at a price around 20 billion yen ($187 million) for 25.4 million Fuji Heavy shares according to a Nissan spokesman. This will allow Nissan to book an extraordinary profit of about seven billion yen ($65 million) in the fiscal year to March 2001.

Apparently, the stock market has reacted positively to the news of the sales as Nissan's stock has gained several points in the past few days.
 

APRIL 11, 2000

So why didn't Nissan choose to name the 145 bhp Sentra SE as an SE-R instead? We had our suspicions. For good reason...we just found out the SE-R moniker will be resurrected for 2002 from a reliable source. Here's what they said, "The SE-R is returning as a 2002 model and will have 180 hp and a six speed transmission. 17 inch wheels will be standard." Hmm...could it be an SR20VE, the variable valve timing and lift version of the SR20DE already in the SE? Seventeen inch wheels kinda over the top but hey isn't that what Nissan needs?
 

APRIL 11, 2000

Just days ago we reported that the new 2001 QX4 was getting a warm reception as buyers are catching the new print ads and coming into the dealership to check it out. Well, on a local news cast, we came across the new QX4 commercial. They feature beauty shots of the QX4 running through what seems to be a shallow pool of water. The ads note the new VQ35 V-6 with 240 bhp and the revised interior. The whole ads are tinted in the sky-blue color themes seen in recent Infiniti print ads begun with the new I30. To us, the ads serve they’re purpose very well displaying a sense of power [with the QX4 powering through the water] and a feeling of luxury with shots of the leather and wood laden interior.
 

APRIL 10, 2000

This month is shaping up to be a banquet...no make that a buffet of Nissan coverage in major car magazines. Making the headlines is the May issue of Road & Track which pits the Maxima SE in a comparo against the Accord EX V-6, Pontaic Grand Prix GT, Ford Taurus SE, and the Camry XLE V-6. Okay guess which car won? 

No, the Camry actually came in last (85.7 points). Errr??? The Accord? Naw it was second with 89.4 points. 

The Maxima? Yes of course, our beloved Maxima edged the Accord with the highest points at 89.5 points. The Max swept all the performance evaluation other than 0-60 mph - it was second after the Grand Prix GT. But it kicked butt in braking, slalom, skidpad, and fuel economy. As for the subject evaluations, it won the following (out of 10 points); engine (9), steering (8.4), brakes (8.4), handling (9.0), interior styling (8.8 out of 10), front seat space (8.6), driving excitement (eeek; 8.8). After all the points were added up, the Max scored victory. 

Most of the R&T editors said they chose the Maxima for enthusiasts reasons while "approaching the overall refinement levels of the Accord and Camry."  Interesting points were the Max was shod with 17" low profile tire/wheels while everything else was either 16" or 15" which made the Maxima a bit more favorable to winning handling evaluations. Also there seems to be a misprint for the quarter mile with "19.8 @ 88 mph." Hmmm...we think they meant 15.8 @ 88 mph.

Also in the same of issue of R&T are the first print Sentra ads, a review of an HKS modified Skyline GT-R and a buyers guide to Pre-owned Z32s (300ZX 1990-1996). Both articles are also quite interesting...so if you don't subscribe, then pick it up R&T your local news stand.

Also Sports Compact Car (May 2000) gets the pleasure of putting a 250 bhp S15 Siliva through it's paces. Of course seasoned FA readers already knew about the S15 being a incomparable performance bang for the buck, so now SCC is rightfully furious that the Silvia isn't available in the US so they set up a write-in-campaign to Nissan demanding the car be converted and imported to the states. Nissan says they are willing to listen to those interested. E-mail your convictions to silvia@mcmullenargus.com which they will collect and forward to Nissan North America. Be sure to include your name, age, and city in the e-mail. (Thanks to reader "S14 Turbo" for informing us of the SCC article). In the same issue, SCC covers Nissan Motorsports' campaign with 240SXs and Z cars at the 40th Annual RDC Illgen Enduro road race.

Also the May issue of Car and Driver contains a review of the new Sentra SE. We'll follow up with a summary of that article later this week.
 

APRIL 8, 2000

Word on the street is the new 2001 QX4 is getting a much warmer reception than it's previous iteration. According to one Infiniti dealer source, customers are flocking to the showrooms and are surprised as to the refinements and most obvious power increase 
(70 bhp) over last year's model making it more competitive with it's cross street rival, the Lexus RX300. Mind you the previous QX4 did well for Infiniti - beating the RX300 to market, receiving critical praise for it's supple ride and build quality, and selling over 1,000 units for most of the months it was available. We're curious as to see if those numbers can be improved with the new QX4.

Our source goes onto saying the I30t (touring) model is not being promoted enough and thus not moving as much as the base model. 

Our take: We wonder could the lackluster sales be a result of of having to justify the hefty $2,000 difference between it and the base model? The touring model offers 17" alloy wheels (vs. 16" wheels on the base), stiffer suspension, Xenon HID, and a Viscous Limited Slip Differential. 

Perhaps a price drop is needed to get more people to consider the touring model?
  

APRIL 8, 2000

In a turn of ironic events, Nissan North America may end up selling more cars than it's parent company in Japan for the first time in history. Nissan is projecting sales of 772,000 units at home (Japan) and 780,000 vehicles in the US for this fiscal year ending next March in 2001. 

The domestic market sales target is 40% lower than Nissan's Japanese peak sales of over one million vehicles in fiscal 1989. Nissan's renewed focus on improving it's US sales are attributed to a strong and thriving US economy and the recent success in the truck segment. Nissan is offering future projections for home market  sales of 800,000 units for fiscal 2001 and 860,000 units for fiscal 2002. Comparatively for the US, Nissan is projecting to sell over a million vehicles by fiscal 2002 spread amongst 10 vehicles.
  

APRIL 8, 2000

A few days ago we wrapped our second interview with Jerry Hirshberg. We're working on publishing it soon. We think you'll find it quite a candid interview that sheds light on one of Nissan's most visible faces...Here's some quick snippets: 

Hirshberg on being offered the position of Nissan's global chief designer...
"Earlier in my career I was offered the position of global design director for Philips, the Dutch electronics giant, and turned it down for similar reasons. I am simply more interested in the intimate orchestration of a select team of creative designers than the exhaustive administrative and traveling requirements of running multiple studios in multiple countries."

On the new Z car....
"The good news is - everyone involved is on fire, and having a blast. And if the engineering, performance and price are anywhere near what is being talked about, stand back! This car will be an event.  And it will surely reflect the new cultural values of the Corporation."
 

APRIL 5, 2000

We've gotten a few emails inquiring about the name of the song on the new Sentra commercials. We actually have heard it before. The band is "The Cult" and the song is "She Sells Sanctuary."  Click here to listen to parts of the albumn.
 

APRIL 4, 2000

As we promised here's more on the new wave of Sentra and Pathfinder ads appearing now or soon on your TV. According to Nissan the ads will feature well recognized pop music in the background from Smashmouth, The Cult, Blur, Kinder Atom and The Breeders. Starring in the ads will be the now easily recognizable Jerry Hirshberg of NDI. The ads will continue on with the "Nissan Driven" theme.

The campaign will come in two waves. The first wave will highlight the product and the second wave will focus on a specific feature within the vehicle. The first wave for Sentras will begin nationwide on April 10th, while some regions have already begun airing the commercials. The Sentra commercial talks about designing the Sentra from the ground up not to be a compact car. The segment features the music of The Cult and in the end has Hirshberg spray painting a red line through the words "COMPACT." 

On April 17th Pathfinder commercials will begin airplay and will tout the luxury, comfort, and performance of the new Pathfinder pointing out the new 3.5L V-6 offers more power than some V-8s. Hirshberg notes in the ads, ""Your right foot is going to be very happy."

The ads were designed by Nissan North America's long time advertising TBWA/Chiat/Day who were also responsible for the "Barbie/Ken" Z car commercial and also Apple Computer's "1984" Macintosh commercial.
 

APRIL 4, 2000

Reader "TK" sends this tip in...Maxima fans might interested to know that Nissan plans to introduce a 2001 "20th Anniversary Limited Edition" Maxima SE this September. Unlike previous "Limited Editions" this one is really limited to 10,000 units. It will come with with a slight bump in power; probably at 227 bhp like the I30. Various front and tail changes will be made on this model. Special alloy wheels and badging will round out the exterior changes. We don't know what interior changes will be had but we're guessing embroidered floor mats will be one of them. 

By the way, another Nissan source said our tip was "not far off the mark."
 

APRIL 3, 2000

Some of you may have noticed the first batch of new Sentra commercials. We were pleasantly surprised while watching the X-Files last night to see Jerry Hirshberg talking about the new "un-compact" Sentra. Pretty soon we'll see the newly invigorated 240 bhp Pathfinder featured as well on the tube. We'll have more details about Nissan's new campaign tomorrow.
 

APRIL 3, 2000

As part of the Nissan Revival Plan, cost reduction in parts suppliers constitute a large area of savings for Nissan. Automotive News reports that it looks like Nissan NA may have to replace 20 percent of it's supplier base with new or other existing suppliers.  Emil Hassan, senior vice president in charge of purchasing, quality and logistics for the Nissan NA, said "more than 80 percent of our suppliers are on board and committed to the program." He added, "We're satisfied with the response...Some (suppliers) didn't cooperate - and, quite frankly, we'll be looking for suppliers to replace them." Hassan had indicated the suppliers that cooperated, have deluged the company with a myriad of ideas enough for Nissan to allocate 40 engineers to it's R&D center in Michigan to research the possibilities.

Also Hassan indicated one way to save costs, "We're shifting now to the other type of steel." Hassan said, "I think in the past, we gold-plated some of our specifications. We're taking a look at changing them wherever it makes sense to change them." 

Our take: We're looking into if that means Nissan will stop utilizing it's touted "Durasteel." (Durasteel is a zinc-nickel alloy with 50% more plating thickness than ordinary galvanized steel. Each panel is then laser-etched, creating an extremely smooth surface on which the paint will be applied.)
 

APRIL 3, 2000

Nissan has just released it's March sales figures which point to the tremendous recovery of it's truck sales. Combined sales of truck and cars total 62,142 units - an increase of 27.3 percent over last year. Here's the breakdown...

The Xterra SUV posted a record breaking sales month of 7,841 units; followed by the Frontier series with sales of 10,579 units, an increase of 74.1 percent; 7,228 Pathfinders were moved, an increase of 20.7 percent. The Quest minivan had sales of 3,779 units. Total truck sales were up 77.3 percent over last year.

In the car segment, the Maxima posted strong sales of 14,117 units, an increase of 37.7 percent over last year. Altima sold 14,027 units followed by the Sentra which had sales of 4,564 units. Keep in mind that the new 2000 Sentra has not been available in mass quantities until later this month, so sedan sales should steadily improve in the upcoming months.

Accordingly Infiniti released it's March figures as well. Infiniti moved 7,436 units, an increase of 17.6 percent over the previous month. The new I30, had a record month, with sales of 4,344 units, an increase of 54.5 percent versus last year. The flagship Q45 had total sales of 464 units while QX4 had sales of 1,358 units - both slightly higher than March. The G20 posted sales of 1,270 units for the month of March.
 

APRIL 1, 2000

We have two new car features which are somewhat works in progress...but hey isn't that what the Internet is all about? 

First, we have our quick summary on the Tino Hybrid car...with all fuss about gas prices and the publicity Honda's Insight is grabbing, we thought Nissan enthusiasts might want to know about the Tino. Read here...
  

APRIL 1, 2000

As we promised, we dug into some of the companies who's executives will be on the Nissan/Renault International Advisory Board. Here's a quick sampling of them...

Of course everyone is familiar with Xerox. Ironically Xerox seems to be in a similar albeit smaller crunch like Nissan, as they recently announced cutting 5,200 and close some plants. 

Next we have CGU (Gyllenhammar) which is the one largest insurance companies in the world, fifth largest in Europe, and Britain's largest. 

Then we have Paris based Fimalac (Lacharrière) who seems to be a multi-industry conglomerate with their fingers in specialty chemicals, precious metals and jewelry, metal fabrication, and machine tools. 

We'll move onto the Netherlands; Reed Elsevier (Tabaksblat) which is one of the world's largest media and publishing companies. Their services include scientific, professional and business publishing. One of their subsidiaries includes LEXIS-NEXIS.

Finally we have SRIC of Japan (Nakatani) is another business to business company. They were founded in 1992 as a subsidiary of The Sanwa Bank Ltd. (one of Japan's largest banks). In their own words SRIC "provides specialized research and consulting services for both public and private organizations" Interestingly 50% of their profits come from "management consulting services"

So it appears that Nissan has chosen board members from a wide spectrum of industries; Insurance, financial, metals, publishing, and business to business consulting services. Combining all the vast experience and networking these new board members, they should be able to help guide Nissan and turn it around. Our favorite three sentences, "time will tell."
 

MARCH 31, 2000

Nissan and Renault have announced the formation of the Alliance International Advisory Board as part of the agreements signed between Renault and Nissan last March 27, 1999. The new board is recruited from various industries and regions as demonstrated by the roster...

-Mr Paul Allaire, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Xerox Corporation (USA)
-Mr Pierre Bilger, Chairman and CEO of Alstom (France)
-Mr Jean-Claude Casanova, Member of the Institut de France (France)
-Mr Shinji Fukukawa, Chairman of the Dentsu Institute for Human Studies (Japan)
-Mr Pehr G. Gyllenhammar, Chairman of CGU (UK)
-Mr Toru Hashimoto, Chairman of the Board of Fuji Bank, Limited (Japan)
-Mr Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, Chairman and CEO of Fimalac (France)
-Dr Iwao Nakatani, Professor, Tama University (Chief Counselor of SRIC
 Corporation, effective April 1, 2000) (Japan)
-Mr Frank N.Newman, Chairman Emeritus of Bankers Trust Corporation (USA)
-Mr Morris Tabaksblat, Chairman of Reed Elsevier (the Netherlands)

According to Nissan, the members were chosen "for their experience, expertise and independence." The International Advisory Board will be co-chaired by Renault Chairman Louis Schweitzer and NML Chairman Yoshikazu Hanawa. The first meeting is scheduled to be held in Paris on April 20th. Thereafter it will meet twice a year as defined by the chairmen.

Nisan states that the board "will exchange ideas, views, opinions and knowledge liable to have an influence on the major strategic decisions of the Alliance." FA views this formation as one that will only help Nissan in it's Revival Plan because of the wealth of experience and insight these individuals bring from their respective disciplines and regions. We'll have more on the companies the board members come from. As always there's no guarantee even the brightest group of people will be able to work and be productive together but we have hope.
 

MARCH 29, 2000

Industry trade journal, Automotive News, is reporting more on Nissan Design International’s Z car design. According to the report, Diane Allen is heading up the work, you may remember her as the Frontier truck's chief designer from the Chicago Auto Show where she and Jerry Hirshberg debuted the 2001 Frontier truck.

"It will be a lot more wheel-oriented, with more testosterone and strength," Allen said. That leads us to believe that the Z might have flared fenders. Both Allen and Hirshberg agree that their choice for the new Z will be the subjects of debates. "We know it will be controversial," Hirshberg said. "But I'd rather take risks and do a car we believe in. This will not be a 
polite car." And we at FA expect nothing less from NDI.

There's no guarantee that NDI's design will be what the public will receive as the American studio is sending multiple clay models to Japan for final selection in competition with the Japanese studio designs. However Automotive News notes that Hirshberg is fairly confident that his team's design will win.

But the best part that gets our adrenaline flowing is what Hirshberg has to say about the Z car's dynamics. "If it's performance reaches 75 percent of what the engineers say, then it will be the best performing sports car in the world, regardless of price," he said. "And ours will come in under $30,000," teased Hirshberg.

Well, we’re down on our knees praying to the Z gods for this to come into fruition.
 

MARCH 28, 2000

As the FA Editors anxiously await the arrival of the new Q45, we ran across some information that points to the new Q45 utilizing a new lighter weight alloy V-8 engine series related to the VQ series used in the Maxima/I30. Thus dumping the VH series that's been used in all Qs up in until now. As widely reported, the displacement will be increased back to 4.5 liters a la the 1990 to 1996 Q45. 
 

MARCH 28, 2000

As the first anniversary of the Nissan-Renault marriage draws near, we’re learning more and more about Nissan's progress under the drastic restructuring plan that was announced last October. In an interview with Reuters, Nissan’s President and COO stated that the plans are "on track." We originally believed that we wouldn’t see products of the new management until at least late next year, but that seems to not be the case. Patrick Pelata tells us that a new Primera and Cima [a.k.a. Q45] will display Nissan’s new vision and will debut by the end of this business year. He is especially pleased with the Primera stating, "The Primera, I think everyone will be surprised. It is a very good picture of the new Nissan."
 

MARCH 24, 2000

Nissan's edgy and hip "Driven" campaign in the United States has been what you could called a success especially when tied in to the sales of the Xterra and Frontier Crew Cab. Now Carlos Ghosn has recently announced that Nissan is just about done on their new world-wide brand identity. He said that they are training staff and working out any bugs left. Ghosn said that the new identity will be unveiled in January 2001 (possibly at the Detroit Auto Show?). He did not say which advertising agency is developing the new identity, but we've learned that Hakuhodo, Nissan Japan's ad agency will set up a joint venture with Omnicom to handle Nissan's new direction. Omnicom is the parent company of ChiatDay which just happens to be Nissan NA's ad agency and spearheaded the "Driven" campaign.

Nissan is keeping a tight lip on what the new identity will be, but we think it'll be in-line with the "Driven" campaign. Why? Because "Driven" represents what image Nissan wants to portray. They want consumers to think that they have a passion for car design and that is what "Driven" is doing. Also, it would only cloud Nissan NA's image if they change their identity once again, and that's something they can't really afford to do. Carlos Ghosn also hinted at making Infiniti a world-wide brand. He said that possibly making Infiniti more well known would help the brand roll-out and raise investment levels. Infiniti's arch-rival, Lexus, started off as an American brand but has slowly migrated to the UK and Germany. Could the new Q45 eventually make it's way to Germany's autobahn?
 

MARCH 23, 2000

Many auto analysts note that Carlos Goshn has a tough task ahead of him in reforming or reviving Nissan depending on your view. Apparently Japanese business daily, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, agrees in a analysis of the situation. The paper notes the recent reduction in Nissan's self-set sales goal and current stock price near at an all time low. The paper notes that certain analysts have predicted a backlash due to Nissan's supplier slashing and plant closures which may cause it's affiliates to cut back on purchase of Nissan stock shares and cars. The article ends with a note that after Goshn took the helm, he spoke to several hundred Nissan employees. The dialogue revealed political factions and a crippling indecisiveness within Nissan, which Ghosn and co-reformers are fixing by installing new executives, forming committees to streamline decisions, and consolidating overlapping operations.

A slew of new executive changes were announced effective April 1st at Nissan North America. The headliner being the appointment of James C. Morton, Jr. to senior vice president, administration and finance. He will oversee all Finance, Human Resources, Business Strategy, Corporate Communications, Information Systems and Audit for Nissan's North American operations. Morton will report to Norio Matsumura. As we had reported on March 19th, Matsumura will head Nissan's North American Management Committee. Matsumura also serves as executive vice president, overseas operations for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. 

Morton will join as a member of the North American Management Committee which will also include NNA senior vice presidents, the presidents of Nissan Canada and Nissan Mexicana, and on a quarterly meeting basis, Ghosn. Like Goshn, Morton is a Michelin alumni working for over 24 years in Michelin North America's Communications, Legal and Government Affairs departments. 

In a move heralded by insiders, Nissan also announced the appointment of Katsumi Ishii to president of Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation. Ishii has held various finance positions within Nissan NA, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., and previous stints at NMAC. According to our sources, Ishii is a disciplined executive who has managed to institute effective cost control and productivity within the departments he has been placed into.

Nissan also announced the appointment of several other executives into marketing positions designed to split marketing and sales into separate departments. This will allow the two departments to operate within Nissan's global brand management and marketing direction.
 

MARCH 21, 2000

Here's a picture you won't get to see very often...at least in the United States. This a group of eight (count'em) Skyline GT-Rs parked in the back of US Importer Motorex's office for a recent weekend get together. There's three generations of Skyline GT-Rs in the guises of the R32, R33, and most recent R34. We'll post more pics soon in the Motorex Syline GT-R forum.


  

MARCH 20, 2000

Hmmm....here's another succulent rumor that just arrived from one of our readers. He mentions that Infiniti will soon have a second V-8 model in the line up complimenting the new Q45. This ideology mimics Lexus' LS400/GS400 strategy. The new car will be a bit more sportier than the new Q targeted towards a younger affluent crowd. Best part is that it's scheduled to have 330 bhp and be around $41,000. Watch out GS400 and Audi A6 4.2.
  

MARCH 20, 2000

We received a tip that's kind of hard to confirm but thought our readers would like to hear it. According to a Canadian Nissan affiliate source, Nissan already has built a full size truck for testing purposes. Supposedly the front end looks very similar to the Pathfinder. It also has a version of the Q's V-8 engine but bored and stroked to 5.5 liters and over 300 bhp. 

To Nissan, we say...bring it on!
  

MARCH 19, 2000

The past week has been a virtual musical chairs ride for Nissan. In addition to Goshn's appointment to Presidency and the promotion of Thierry Molonguet (as reported on March 16th), executive vice president Norio Matsumura will head a newly formed management committees for North America and Europe. In addition Nissan Europe President Ian Gibson will retire from executive duties. 

"We are in fact eliminating one layer of management," said Carlos Ghosn, adding that the no one is planned to be appointed into the European president title. The moves are seen as a way to speed up decision making and to consolidate Goshn's power base. As to Nissan's current revival plan, Gosh remarked, "We are on track...I am more confident now than I was six months ago."

More applicable to North Americans... is the news of  the departure of Nobuo Araki as president of Nissan North America. According to Nissan, Araki will be assigned a new post in Japan. His replacement hasn't been announced yet but rumor is that the Presidency will be re-assumed by an American after the previous two presidencies of Japanese executives; Araki and Minoru Nakamura (from 1997-1999). The last American president of Nissan USA was Bob Thomas, credited with the well liked but ineffective "Enjoy the Ride" ad campaign.

Also retiring from Nissan's North America's operation is Jerry Benefield, President of Nissan Motor Manufacturing, responsible for the manufacture of the Xterra, Frontier, and Altima. Benefield, 60 years old, will retire April 1st and be succeeded by Dan Gaudette, senior VP of operations of U.S. manufacturing for Nissan NA. Nissan Motor Manufacturing is scheduled to be rolled into Nissan NA also on April 1st. Benefield said the future of Nissan is "very bright." He added, "Our [manufacturing] volumes are increasing. I think job security is in good shape and in the next three or four years, we will add volume and models."

In addition to the above restructuring, a global marketing team will be established, headed by senior vice president Jean-Jacques Le Goff (a Renault ex-pat), complimenting the present regional marketing organizations. Marketing will join purchasing, finance, manufacturing, research and development, units already under global management. 

Our sources have praised the changes and tell us to expect more heavy restructuring of both Nissan Motor Co. executives and Nissan NA staffing sometime in early Summer.
 

MARCH 19, 2000

In an interview with French daily, Les Echos, Carlos Ghosn said Nissan had concretely identified sources to cut manufacturing costs by 20 percent over three years. By considerably reducing the number of suppliers used, surviving suppliers would be able to significantly increase volume. As to reinforce Nissan's reputation for engineering and production, he remarked, "It is out of the question to compromise on quality.'' 

Underscoring the importance of the company's parts operations, Nissan will strengthen its worldwide parts business unit headed by senior vice president Yukio Kitahora recalled from Nissan North America.
  

MARCH 19, 2000

Reuters is reporting that Samsung Motor's parent conglomerate is rebuffing the initial offer made by Renault to assume control of the automotive manufacturing company (as reported on March 7th). However Samsung noted that, "we will do our best to narrow the gap with Renault." 
 

MARCH 16, 2000

We've just learned the Carlos Gosh, Nissan's COO will also assume the title of President replacing Yoshikazu Hanawa, who will stay on as Chairman and CEO. The move is more a symbolic one as Goshn has been running day to day ever since his appointment by Renault in helping to revive Nissan. Another Renault sourced executive, Thierry Molonguet, currently deputy financial officer, will be promoted to be Nissan's Chief Financial Officer replacing Kanemitsu Anraku, who will sit in the newly created role of vice chairman. Hanawa will propose the changes to the board in June which is expected to approve the changes.

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