May 13 2025 – In a recent interview with France’s BFM TV, 71-year-old former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn asserted that he had “long anticipated” the Japanese automaker’s struggles. “I foresaw Nissan’s decline and the unraveling of the alliance,” he stated bluntly.
When pressed about the root causes of Nissan’s challenges, Ghosn didn’t mince words, placing the blame squarely on the company’s leadership. “Decisions were made at a glacial pace,” he remarked, adding, “The core issue lies within Nissan’s management.”
Known for his candid remarks, Ghosn didn’t hold back, describing the company as “on life support” and suggesting that Nissan had “resorted to begging its main Japanese rivals for assistance.”
However, Ghosn was equally critical of the proposed merger between Nissan and Honda, labeling it as “pointless.” Last August, he had told Automotive News that Honda’s plan was a “veiled takeover attempt” aimed at securing dominance.
In reality, when negotiations between the two automakers collapsed, Honda admitted that it had never intended a merger of equals. Instead, it sought to transform Nissan into a subsidiary. “Honda’s proposal involved altering the planned joint holding company structure, positioning Honda as the parent and Nissan as the subsidiary. This would be achieved through a share swap, with Honda appointing the majority of directors and the CEO under a share transfer agreement,” Ghosn explained.
Ghosn didn’t shy away from calling the attempted merger between Nissan and Honda a “desperate move.” He also criticized the current alliance with Renault as “small and fragile,” noting that Nissan had become “uninspired, mediocre, and mired in difficulties.”
It’s worth mentioning that Ghosn is currently facing allegations of misusing company assets, money laundering, and corruption.
