A leadership shakeup at Nissan could revive stalled merger talks with Honda, as the struggling automaker weighs its future.

Chief Executive Makoto Uchida is stepping down, with Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa taking the helm of the Japanese carmaker.

When news broke of official merger talks between Honda and Nissan came to light earlier this year, it seemed like there was relief on the horizon for the latter carmaker. It's no secret that the Yokohama,