Under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn, Nissan has successfully restructured, cutting cost and simplifying platforms, returning the highest profit margin in the industry. In 2004, it also re-took the second position of Japanese car makers from Honda.

However, the revival is mainly driven by cost reduction rather than products. Nissan's cars still trail Honda in creativity and quality. Ultra-high commonality in platforms and components led to some identity problems, for example, Tiida looks too much like Renault Megane, while the differences between Maxima and Altima, between Infiniti G35 and M35 are not clear enough. Nissan's products are still not as good as its arch-rival Toyota and Honda. More has to be done in order to maintain its momentum.