Welcome to the Daily 5 report for Thursday, Aug. 21.
When the CEO of a troubled automaker wants to fix things in the U.S., he or she often makes it a priority to meet in person with the people who move the metal — the dealers.
So Ivan Espinosa, the new CEO of Nissan Motor Co., made his way to Las Vegas this week to help his executive team give an upbeat report to dealers on the automaker's aggressive future product plans for North America.
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As Urvaksh Karkaria reported today, Nissan plans to deliver 20 new and updated models to the U.S. and Canada by spring 2027. At its national dealer meeting Wednesday in Las Vegas, the Japanese automaker teased a smorgasbord of new sheet metal, including next generations of the Rogue crossover and Sentra and Infiniti Q50 sedans, Karkaria wrote.
Nissan also disclosed plans for a pair of midsize utility vehicles, including a reincarnation of its quirky Xterra SUV coming in 2028. About 2,500 people attended the meeting, including Espinosa.
In the key U.S. market, Nissan sales have slumped more than 30 percent from five years ago, dragging dealer profitability with it.
"We are at a pivotal moment for this company," Espinosa said. "We are taking action fast to address our weaknesses and strengthen our business fundamentals."
Espinosa sent a clear message to retailers that the Nissan and Infiniti franchises are "here to stay," Karkaria wrote.
"I'm confident we know what needs to be done to turn things around," he said.
Among the product plans creating a buzz, Nissan said its Infiniti brand will deliver a second-generation gasoline-powered Q50 in the second half of 2027.
People familiar with the vehicle told Karkaria that the Q50 will switch to rear-wheel drive and be offered with a manual transmission.
"The new Q50 is a visceral car with a twin-turbo that screams," one of the people said. "It's not practical, but it is fun."
In other news, the list of investigations by NHTSA against Tesla Inc. grew again with the agency disclosing a probe into the delayed timing of the EV maker's accident reports involving driver assistance systems. Some reports have come in months late, NHTSA said.
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— Philip Nussel, online editor
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