UPDATE: Nissan CEO Ghosn May Retire by 2017

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA, is considering stepping down before the Japanese company begins its next six-year business plan in April 2017, Bloomberg News reports.

Nissan tells the news service that Ghosn, 58, has declared that the current business plan is the last one to which he'll commit. The company's investor relations officials have been telling analysts and investors this year that Nissan has a succession plan in place. The company didn't say whether Ghosn would retire from Nissan and Renault simultaneously.

Ghosn tells Reuters he is not thinking of exiting soon and would not discuss his plans for five years from now. He notes that his current contract expires next June, and a renewal would run through June 2015.

Ghosn says Nissan and Renault have a pool of talent from which to choose his successor, indicating no outside search is planned. He reiterates that he would prefer that a Japanese national follow him in the top job at Nissan.

Ghosn, who earned the nickname "Le Cost Killer" at Renault, took charge of Nissan in 1999 when the alliance was formed. He pulled off a stunning turnaround at the Japanese company and added the title of Renault CEO in 2005. Running companies on two continents is a grueling job, and Ghosn reportedly logs about 150,000 miles per year on airplanes.