Nissan Motor Company is moving senior vice president and chairman of Renault Eurasia, Denis Le Vot, westward to succeed Jose Munoz as president and chairman of Nissan North America. While Munoz will persist as the brand’s global chief performance officer, Le Vot will take over his regional duties.
A french native, Le Vot joined Renault in 1990 and soon moved up the ranks — eventually being appointed to the brand’s management committee in 2015 and AvtoVAZ’s board of directors the following year. The Nissan executive board in Yokohama, Japan, approved his new appointment in a meeting on Tuesday. However, the title doesn’t become official until January 16th.
It’s unclear how involved Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, was in the final decision, but the move smacks of his desire to cross-pollinate. In addition to pressing for shared platforms, Ghosn has repeatedly mentioned his desire to see corporate leadership mix between brands.
Automotive News reports that Munoz was involved in choosing Le Vot, settling on him after spending the last year hunting for a suitable replacement. He’ll continue to focus on growing Nissan and Infiniti as global brands, leaving the regional business concerns to the Frenchman.
The French are coming, the French are coming!!
We don’t want the damned executive, we want the A110.
He will probably be just as effective at Nissan North America as Renault is in breaking into the U.S. market. Owned three Nissans/Datsuns over the decades, and the fit for Renault/Nissan is perfect- both are POS !!!