A SENIOR Nissan official has debunked reports out of Europe that the company is about to enter a period of belt-tightening and cost-cutting under its incoming CEO, Makoto Uchida, stating that a new era of progress and expansion has commenced instead.

Speaking to the press at last month’s Tokyo motor show, Nissan Motor Company’s head of product planning, Ivan Espinosa, said that while Mr Uchida has a reputation for hard work and efficiency, he intends to return Nissan to long-term prosperity without halting major programs, which include up to seven battery-electric vehicles and many more e-Power hybrids as well as scores of other models in the pipeline over the next five years or so.

“I have a lot of respect for Uchida-san,” he said. “I worked with him in China – we worked in the past as program directors together – so I think the future is bright for us. I do not anticipate any difficulty or any cost-cutting effort.

“On the contrary, I think it is a moment for Nissan to dream about its future. Today, we have two fantastic examples of where the future will be (in the all-electric Ariya and IMk concepts that were central to the brand’s Tokyo motor show stand last week), and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“We are working on many, many new programs and many new projects, and I can tell you that Nissan’s heart is pumping as strong as ever.

“I am really looking forward for the future of the company and having new management on board.”

Announced earlier this month, Mr Uchida takes up his new role on January 1, 2020, after a year in charge of Nissan’s China operations and will be joined by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation executive Ashwani Gupta as chief operating officer and Jun Seki as vice COO.

Mr Uchida has served Nissan Motor Corporation for 16 years.

By Byron Mathioudakis