Haruo Ohno Named Chief of Nissan’s U.S. Operations

Nissan Motor Co. has named Haruo Ohno as the new chief of the auto maker’s growing North American operations.

Ohno, 56, replaces Yoshikazu Hanawa as president of Nissan North America, the company’s Los Angeles-based subsidiary that oversees the operations of Nissan’s seven companies in the United States and Canada. Hanawa was promoted to executive vice president of Nissan Motor Co.

The appointment, which was made Wednesday, comes as Nissan is trying to turn its 8,700-employee North American operation into a self-contained auto company. With design centers in San Diego and Ann Arbor, Mich., and a soon-to-be-expanded assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn., Nissan North America has the ability to design, engineer and manufacture cars on its own. The auto maker is expected to complete construction of its $80-million technical center in Farmington Hills, Mich., later this year.

After getting his law degree from Waseda University, Ohno joined Nissan in 1958 in the company’s production coordination department. During his 33 years with the company, Ohno served as general manager of the production control department, the product and market strategy office and the Zama assembly plant near Tokyo. He was promoted to the board in 1987.

Separately, Duane F. Miller was named senior vice president for vehicle engineering for Nissan’s U.S. research and development arm in Plymouth, Mich., the auto maker said Thursday. Miller, whose experience includes 20 years as an engineer for General Motors Corp. and nine years as vice president of engineering for Volkswagen of America, will supervise Nissan’s vehicle design and development in the United States.