Hiroto Saikawa to succeed Carlos Ghosn.

Effective April 1, 2017, Carlos Ghosn will be replaced by Hiroto Saikawa as CEO of Nissan. Ghosn will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Nissan is stressing that this is a “planned management evolution,” and that as Chairman of all three Alliance companies (Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi), and as CEO of the Renault Group, Ghosn wants to focus more of his attention on the expansion and stewardship of the Alliance.

“I am confident that the management team I have developed at Nissan over the past 18 years has the talent and experience to meet the company’s operational and strategic goals,” Ghosn said. “Having recently taken on new responsibilities at Mitsubishi Motors, and taking into consideration the upcoming Nissan general shareholders meeting, I have decided that the time is right for Hiroto Saikawa to succeed me as Nissan’s CEO.”