TOKYO: Nissan top executive Ashwani Gupta is leaving the company, the Japanese automaker said on Friday, in a surprise departure that will revive concerns about the stability of the firm's leadership. AFP PHOTOBut ahead of Friday's announcement, a source close to the matter told AFP Gupta was stepping down, citing in part "rivalry" between him and chief executive Makoto Uchida. Earlier this year, Nissan and Renault signed a deal to reboot their troubled 24-year relationship, following months of painstaking negotiations and repeated delays. They said Masakazu Toyoda, a second senior director at the firm who opposed Nissan taking a stake in Ampere, had also been forced out. Gupta's departure is a "loss for Nissan," given he was a "driving force of bringing a battered Nissan back from the brink," said Tatsuo Yoshida, an auto analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Source: Manila Times June 17, 2023 04:21 UTC