The rise and fall of Nissan Motors: Global icon to industry underdog

Michael Girdley

Nissan went from the beloved 240Z and “Japanese BMW” Maxima to a brand bleeding market share and cash. In this breakdown, I trace the rise, the Renault–Nissan alliance, Carlos Ghosn’s shock-cost cuts, and the bet that chasing 10% U.S. market share would fix everything—only to crush margins with flee