Nissan GB has confirmed the appointment of James Taylor as its new managing director, effective 1 May 2025.

James Taylor, incoming managing director at Nissan GB

Taylor was previously MD at Vauxhall UK and made a surprise exit in February amid rumours of a move to a rival carmaker.

Boasting over two decades of expertise across all aspects of automotive sales and marketing, he succeeds Diana Torres at Nissan and arrives ahead of a raft of major new launches this year.

These include the all-new Micra and Leaf EVs, plus the entrance of Nissan’s next-generation e-Power hybrid technology, debuting on the Qashqai. These will be followed by the all-new Juke EV and a city car from FY2026.

“These are very dynamic times for the automotive industry so now, more than ever, we need to be agile and responsive to business needs and customer demands,” Taylor said.

“Nissan already makes two of the UK’s top-selling cars, has exciting new products on the way and is a brand with real momentum. I look forward to working with the Nissan team, its dealer partners, and other stakeholders to navigate current industry challenges and build the business for sustainable future success.”

An experienced automotive leader, Taylor started his career with Vauxhall in 1997 on its undergraduate scheme. Following business and contract hire manager roles with parent company GM, he later took on director positions in fleet sales and marketing. This was followed by a role with Stellantis as B2B director before he returned to Vauxhall as managing director.

In his new role, he will report to Mayra González, divisional vice president for marketing and sales at Nissan Europe.

González commented: “2025 is a hugely important year for Nissan’s largest European market and his experience will be invaluable as we strengthen our operations, accelerate our electrification plans and evolve our network strategy to better serve our customers and support our dealers.”