( A ) - Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor and Renault, will give up some control at the automaker's American operations. Ghosn will no longer have direct oversight of Nissan's operations in North and South America, and will turn his focus to Nissan's and Renault's global operations. Effective April 1, Hiroto Saikawa will replace Ghosn as Nissan's chairman for the Americas. Saikawa currently is Nissan's executive vice president for purchasing.
"The priority for our new management team is to act decisively on the multiple challenges facing Nissan and to boost our overall performance in 2007," Ghosn said in a statement.
The changes will free up time for Ghosn to focus on global operations, while Saikawa will focus on Nissan's North American troubles. Nissan has fallen short of its predictions of double-digit monthly sales growth since October.