Nissan South Africa has appointed Nissan Africa Chief Financial Officer, Juan Wheeler, as its new Managing Director and tasked him with unlocking the brand’s local potential.
The Tshwane University of Technology graduate began his career as a State Accountant for South Africa’s Department of Foreign Affairs before joining the automotive industry as an accountant with the Ford Motor Company.
During his six years in a variety of different financial roles for the American carmaker, Wheeler moved to Volvo in 2003 as Finance and Warranty Manager, where he learnt the dealer side of the automotive business.
In 2008, he returned to Ford, spending two years in Bangkok, Thailand, and two years in Shanghai, China, where he was responsible for the region’s B-segment vehicles and forward model planning.
Wheeler moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2011 as Finance Director for four years before spending a year in Vietnam, where he was also responsible for Ford’s manufacturing.
His time with the American automaker continued until 2018, when he left his position as Ford’s Sales Finance Manager for the Middle East to join Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) as Chief Financial Officer.
This is when Wheeler returned to South Africa, where he served as CFO of FCA, becoming CFO of Stellantis South Africa in 2021 following the merger of FCA and Groupe PSA.
Wheeler joined Nissan Africa as Chief Financial Officer in 2025 and has now been tasked with steering Nissan South Africa in the right direction as well.
Jordi Vila, Divisional Vice President, Nissan Europe & President, Nissan Africa, AMIEO Aftersales and Customer Experience, said Wheeler was the perfect candidate to lead Nissan South Africa and build on its proud 60-year legacy in the country.
Nissan Africa Managing Director, Mohamed Abd El Samad, added that Wheeler’s experience stood him in good stead for his new assignment.
“Juan is a veteran not just of the South African automotive industry but globally, with extensive experience that spans back office to manufacturing and sales across multiple continents,” he said.
“I look forward to working even more closely with him in this expanded role as Nissan Africa continues to unlock the potential that exists on this continent.”
Wheeler noted that he feels honoured by the appointment and the faith shown in him, adding that Nissan is an incredible company with a wonderful legacy.
“Some of my earliest automotive memories involve Nissan vehicles, in which I travelled the length and breadth of this country,” he said.
“It is a great privilege to now be asked to lead this same company in South Africa as we embark upon our next exciting chapter.”
Nissan’s recent track record in South Africa
Wheeler will have his work cut out for him as Nissan South Africa navigates a challenging transition period in the country.
The Japanese automaker has recently vacated its premises in Rosslyn, Pretoria, where it had been manufacturing generations of local-favourite bakkies for 60 years.
This comes after Nissan Africa announced in January that it would sell its production plant and stamping facility due to financial difficulties.
Nissan has been under pressure for years and has shut down factories around the world, including two in Japan.
Chery has since moved in and confirmed that it will use Nissan’s local ancestral home to manufacture cars across its family of brands.
Despite Nissan selling its local production operations, the brand has committed to South Africa and, with Wheeler at the helm, it aims to steady the ship.
The Japanese carmaker opened the year with 1,133 local passenger vehicle and bakkie sales, placing it among the top 15 best-selling car brands in the country.
It maintained its top-15 status until April, when its local sales plummeted by 41.16% month-on-month to just 875 units.
Nissan South Africa’s sales figures continued to slip in May and June, managing only 779 sales and placing 16th overall, losing its top-15 status to emerging brands like BYD and Omoda & Jaecoo.
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