
Christian Meunier expected to return to Japanese carmaker as it faces many challenges

- Christian Meunier is expected to become chairman of Nissan Americas, overseeing operations in both regions.
- This will put the former Jeep boss in charge of the Nissan and Infiniti brands in North and South America.
- Meunier previously served as global president of Infiniti and appears to have many fans at the automaker.
Nissan, Infiniti and Jeep don’t have much in common, but all three brands are struggling with declining sales. That’s not the only thing that ties them together. Christian Meunier resigned as chairman and global president of Infiniti in 2019 to become global president of Jeep.
He resigned from the position last year and now looks set to return to the Nissan mothership. Two people who spoke to Automotive News said Meunier will succeed Jérémie Papin as chairman of Nissan Americas. This will put him in charge of the Nissan and Infiniti brands in North and South America.
More: Things are so bad for Infiniti that stores can now pair up with Nissan dealers
Papin will reportedly be promoted to Nissan’s chief financial officer. He will replace Jack Ma, who has been rumored to be leaving. These changes are likely to happen on January 1, and more reorganizations are likely to follow.
That remains to be seen, but Nissan and Infiniti’s problems are well known at the moment. Last year, major brands sold 834,097 vehicles in the United States, nearly 300,000 fewer than a decade ago. That’s down 26.3%, but Infiniti has fared even worse, with sales plunging nearly 45% over the past decade.

While Nissan has reason to be optimistic about new and updated models, things are about to get worse for Infiniti with the Q50 set to end production in 2025. Sales have dropped significantly in recent years, but the aging sedan still attracted 4,138 buyers in its first year and nine months. This makes the car more popular than the new QX55 crossover coupe.
Nissan’s woes have led to a tie-up with Honda, and Automotive News reports that the company may soon take a stake in their former rival. If all goes well, an announcement could come as early as next month.

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