CEO Carlos Ghosn may retire before Nissan's mid-term biz plan

Nissan Motor Co, Japan's second largest carmaker, said CEO Carlos Ghosn is considering stepping down before the company's next mid-term business plan begins in about five years.

Ghosn (58) doesn't plan to commit to Nissan's next mid-term plan and investor-relations officials at the company have been telling investors and analysts this year that there is a succession plan in place, spokesman Koji Okuda said. "Ghosn has said this is the last mid-term plan he'll commit to, meaning he may not stay here for the next mid-term period," Okuda said. "We need to prepare for his possible departure within a five-year period."

His successor would follow in the footsteps of an executive credited with one of the biggest turnarounds in modern automotive history.