Infiniti gets new global boss with Jose Roman

TOKYO – Struggling Infiniti is getting a new global brand chief with the appointment of Jose Roman, Nissan's most senior executive in Mexico and Latin America.

Roman, a native of Ecuador, joined Infiniti parent Nissan Motor Co. in 2012 and has more than 25 years of automotive experience in such markets as Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Japan, the company said in a June 1 news release announcing his promotion.

He is managing director of Nissan Mexico and of the Nissan Importers Business Unit, which oversees 34 markets throughout Latin America.

Infiniti's newest leader starts July 1 and will be based at the company's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, just south of Tokyo. Roman, 56, will also serve as a senior vice president at the parent company and report to Asako Hoshino, Nissan's global sales chief.

"Jose's human-centric leadership style, paired with a wealth of experience gained across diverse markets, will be invaluable for Infiniti to move to the next bright chapter," Hoshino said in the statement. She credited Roman with consolidating Nissan's market leadership in Mexico, where under his lead the brand achieved its 15th consecutive year atop the country's sales chart.

During his tenure, Roman introduced Nissan's e-Power hybrid powertrain system to the region.

Roman succeeds Peyman Kargar, who left March 30 to return to Renault in France after a three-year assignment leading the brand since June 2020. Olga Filippova, general manager in charge of global sales and marketing, was appointed acting Infiniti head.

The management shuffle at Infiniti came just as Kargar was preparing for a wide-ranging brand reboot centered on the QX80 SUV to jump-start a new era of growth in the battery-electric era.

The fresh Infiniti road map, as described to Automotive News before Kargar's departure, was to include a new look for Infiniti dealerships, a new design language across the lineup and a flurry of accents to impress customers, such as a unique Infiniti scent and signature sound.

The relaunch was scheduled to coincide with the introduction of the redesigned QX80 as the brand's flagship. A close to production Monograph prototype is set to be unveiled this year.

It is unclear what the leadership change means for the latest brand strategy.

The appointment continues a period of turnover at the top.

Kargar replaced Mike Colleran, who served as global brand head for only three months. Colleran had taken over from an interim chairman following the departure of previous Infiniti President Christian Meunier in 2019 to become global president of the Jeep brand. Meunier's resignation came just four months after the departure of his predecessor, Roland Krueger.

Infiniti's global sales plunged 55 percent to 84,830 cars and light trucks in 2021, from 188,990 in 2019 before the pandemic. U.S. sales, the bulk of brand volume, fell 20 percent to 46,619 in 2022.

But in the first quarter of 2023, Infiniti's U.S. sales climbed 40 percent to 15,757 units, led by surging deliveries of the QX60 midsize crossover and the outgoing version of the QX80.

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn had set a goal for Infiniti to account for 10 percent of the industry's global luxury market, racking up annual sales of 500,000 vehicles.

At one point, Ghosn's plan called for Infiniti to be a pioneer in luxury electric vehicles, getting an EV based on the Nissan Leaf on sale in 2014. That never happened.

The brand's last major product — the redesigned QX60 — was delayed several months, rolling into stores in late 2021. Infiniti still has no full-electric vehicle. But two EVs for the brand are scheduled to enter production at Nissan's Canton, Miss., plant starting in 2025.