What does it take to revitalize an iconic automotive brand? Vinay Shahani, Senior Vice President of US Marketing and Sales for Nissan North America, takes us behind the curtain in this candid conversation about Nissan's journey back to prominence.

Shahani's story is compelling – after ten formative years at Nissan, followed by successful stints at Volkswagen and Toyota, he's returned to his first automotive love with a mission. "I was a little sad to see what was happening at Nissan over the last couple of years," he admits. Now he's determined to restore what he calls "that irreverent, cool underdog Japanese brand" that once captured America's imagination.

The discussion reveals how Nissan lost its way – too many dealer KPIs, complicated programs, and organizational silos that made doing business unnecessarily difficult. Shahani's approach starts with simplification and transparency. Under his leadership, Nissan evaluated every dealer-facing program with just three questions: Does it help sell cars? Does it help take care of customers? Does it help make money? This process led to eliminating roughly a third of existing programs, freeing resources for initiatives that truly drive success.

Perhaps most revealing is Nissan's nuanced approach to electrification. While committed to a sustainable future, Shahani acknowledges the market isn't ready to "go from zero to 100 on battery electric vehicles." Accordingly, Nissan is diversifying its powertrain strategy, bringing its e-power hybrid technology to America starting with the Rogue, while also launching plug-in hybrid versions of key models. This pragmatic strategy addresses the reality that different customers have different needs.

Equally significant is Nissan's commitment to revitalizing Infiniti. Shahani made this a condition of his return: "If Nissan is not serious about Infiniti as a brand, then I'm not going to rejoin the company." The strategy centers on increased platform sharing between brands and accelerated product development cycles, reduced from over 50 months to just 30.

Looking to the future, Shahani envisions "stability of the network, where throughput is drastically improved, along with return on sales," for both Nissan and Infiniti. It's a vision built on strong products, simplified operations, and above all, what he calls the "relentless care of the customer."

Ready to dive deeper into automotive brand strategy? Listen now and discover what it takes to restore an iconic brand in today's challenging market.