Around one year ago, a potential merger between Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan fell apart. Even though the merger talks were ultimately terminated, there were still rumors of potential collaborations between the two companies as recently as last month, and based on a recent interview with The Financial Times, Nissan has not ruled out a potential sale to another automaker, which could affect the future of everything from the cost-effective Sentra compact sedan to the flagship Infiniti QX80.Speaking with the news publication, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa admitted his company is still hectic, but it is attempting to remain flexible in a rapidly-changing industry. "There are so many things happening every morning that it's scary," he described. When asked if Nissan could still be sold after the deal with Honda didn't go through, the CEO gave a vague answer:"Anything can happen in this crazy world."Ivan Espinosa, Nissan CEO Rebuilding Nissan Nissan/James Lipman Espinosa took over as Nissan's CEO last year, replacing Makoto Uchida. The former chief product planning officer is a self-described "car guy" who was chosen to revamp Nissan's aging lineup and executive leadership team. "In a way, I think we lost our way," he said. "We forgot who we were, and we became a financial target company. There was a lot of politics in the past, a lot of tension and a lot of posturing by executives. This is not the case anymore because, simply said, it's not who we are as leaders."Nissan has launched a slew of new products since Espinosa took over, including (in the US alone) new models like the Leaf, Sentra, and Rogue Plug-In Hybrid, as well as the Armada Nismo, Z Heritage Edition, and refreshed Pathfinder. "Despite the launch of new products, it's still hard to trust their sales target so we're anticipating about half the level of what they have promised us," a supplier told The Financial Times. Nissan still expects a $4.2 billion net loss through the financial year ending this month, with the Japanese automaker posting a second consecutive year of losses. Nissan's Open Plan Nissan "The only way of coping with these things is by being quicker and nimbler," Espinosa responded when asked about Chinese electric vehicles and their rapid takeover of Europe and other important markets. Nissan has already announced plans to sell its own Chinese-built EV, the N7, in other markets besides China, such as the Middle East. The N7 is built with local partner Dongfeng and costs less than $20,000."It's becoming increasingly difficult for companies of our size to remain relevant in this environment," he added. "You need to remain open and flexible." This may not mean a full takeover, like Nissan envisioned with Honda, but smaller partnerships with multiple automakers. Nissan's alliance member Renault has already announced deals with Ford to produce small EVs and vans, and an agreement to produce Geely cars in Brazil. Perhaps more deals like this could still be announced.NissanUntil then, the automaker has a rather ambitious plan to return to profitability, including reviving the much-missed Xterra name on a rugged new SUV architecture. That platform will also spawn a ruggedized, body-on-frame Pathfinder, marking the nameplate's return to that construction method after nearly two decades. Both SUVs, which should be very popular in North America, are expected to arrive before the end of the decade.
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