Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida will step down from his position on April 1, with current Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa set to take up the role. Espinosa will be Nissan's fourth CEO in eight years. The leadership shakeup comes less than a month after Nissan and Honda terminated merger talks.

During a press conference, current CEO Makoto Uchida didn't have the confidence of some employees, and the board asked him to step down.

(Reuters) - Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida is under deepening pressure over the Japanese automaker's weakening performance and board members are due to gather on March 11 to discuss potential successors, people familiar with the matter have said.