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

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 fleet incentives and bloat. Looking to become a channel member to support our production and receive exclusive content? Sign up here:    / @michael-girdley   Get the 2-minute cheat sheet for this video → https://girdley.com/youtube 👇 SUBSCRIBE for more business breakdowns    / @michael-girdley   Get my free guide → Why Great Businesses Fail: 10 Multi-Million Dollar Mistakes To Avoid: https://links.girdley.com/10fails-yt ------------------------------------------------------------------ ► For sponsorships or inquiries please reach out to: alexandro@girdley.com ► Get my weekly letter to business owners: essential insights to run, grow, and stay ahead in your business → https://links.girdley.com/newsletter-yt ► Free events on all things small business: https://links.girdley.com/lectures-yt ► Deep dives on businesses for sale:    / @acquisitionsanonymouspodcast   ► Follow me on Twitter/X: https://x.com/girdley ------------------------------------------------------------------ We’ll unpack how internal infighting, missed EV and hybrid waves, and dealer overexpansion set the stage for a reset—then look at today’s turnaround plan: factory closures, a leaner 2.5M-unit target, and a promised wave of electrified models. Along the way: Project 88, the Leaf’s stumble, Mitsubishi, and the latest leadership shake-up aimed at winning back U.S. buyers and profitability.