Could Reviving Datsun End Up Costing Nissan’s Ghosn His Job? - Page 2
Let’s be clear: By no stretch of the imagination is Nissan’s move to re-introduce the Datsun brand a home-run for the company in today’s market. This is a longer-term move since the first Datsun cars are expected to roll out of the showrooms in 2014; however, by Nissan making Datsun its bargain offering, the company is clearly hoping to challenge Tata and win over a new generation of Datsun lovers. Now it comes down to execution. Making a profit on a $3,000 car is certainly its own challenge, so now Ghosn’s move will be under a global microscope which ultimately could cost him his job if there are any hiccups along the way.
Considering the disappointment thus far in Leaf unit sales and the harsh reality that under the direction of Ghosn, Renault-Nissan has already dumped over $6bln thus far on EV development with not much to show for it from a financial perspective. Adding salt to the wounds of Nissan’s slow EV progress, Toyota is actually looking to move away from EV to focus on hybrids, a move completely away from Ghosn’s direction for Nissan.
This morning, the NY Times reported the founder of EV battery swap leader Better Place is stepping down amid widening financial losses despite raising over $800mln in private funding. Realizing only Renault, again led by Ghosn, signed on as a client thus far for the Better Place battery swap concept, it does appear Ghosn has to deliver a winner for investors with Datsun or it may soon be time for someone else to take a spin in his driver’s seat at Renault-Nissan.
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