5. Carlos Ghosn
Nissan Motor/Regie Renault President/CEO
Father of the Nissan GT-R
2008 Rank: 29
History: Ghosn was first in the 2005 and '06 Power Lists, ninth in '07 and 29th last year.
This year: His two automakers are still struggling, but Nissan sales haven't slid as much as others in the U.S., with modest increases in some months.
Why he had slipped: Running both automakers proved hard. He left Nissan short on marketing and micromanaged both Nissan and Renault design studios.
Why he's moving up: Ghosn's Nissan has an aggressive green-car program. It will expand flex-fuel capability, build its own in-house hybrids, and introduce a plug-in hybrid, all by 2010. And his new GT-R is Car of the Year.
And moving out of light trucks: Chrysler will build the next Titan on the Dodge Ram platform.
Bonus points: Rejected a purchase of Chrysler after the GM-Chrysler deal fell apart. "In these times, when the name of the game is cash, I don't think you're going to see many companies going into a strategic alliance."
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