YOKOHAMA, Japan – To meet the demands of an increasingly competitive North American market, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Hiroto Saikawa and Nissan North America Chairman Denis Le Vot have announced Nissan Latin America Chairman Jose Valls is appointed vice chairman, Nissan North America, in charge of U.S. sales and marketing, effective January 2, 2019.
“Jose’s experience will prove valuable as we execute our plans to deliver sustainable retail growth in line with Nissan’s global strategy,” said Denis Le Vot. “We are continuing to strengthen the Nissan brand with the introduction of new products such as the KICKS subcompact crossover and the all-new 2019 Altima, which are driving retail growth.”
Valls will continue to lead the Latin America region until his replacement is announced. For the North America role, Valls will report to Le Vot.
“While the North American market has presented quite a challenge, we are fortunate to be able to draw support from across our global network from leaders such as Jose Valls,” said Hiroto Saikawa.
Valls assumed his current role in January 2014. He joined Nissan in April 2011 as regional vice president, Commercial Division, Nissan Mexicana, and he was promoted to president and managing director, Nissan Mexicana in April 2012. Prior to that he worked for other major automotive manufacturers in sales operations, fleet and commercial, distribution, dealer development, product development and portfolio management.
Valls holds a bachelor’s degree in public accounting from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Santa Maria in Argentina and a master’s degree in management from the University of California, Berkeley.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2017, the company sold 5.77 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.9 trillion yen. On April 1, 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30% increase in annualized revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolized by the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world’s largest automotive partnership, with combined sales of more than 10.6 million vehicles in calendar year 2017.
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Media contactKoji Okuda or Nicholas Maxfield+81-(0)45-523-5552nissan_japan_communications@mail.nissan.co.jp