Three years since he took the helm of Nissan and Renault, Carlos Ghosn has reportedly hinted that he may relinquish one of his two chief executive roles.

The general economic slowdown is making it difficult to control both carmakers, reports the Financial Times, and Renault is struggling to meet the 2009 profit targets Ghosn set it.

When Nissan missed its targets two years ago Ghosn was forced to change its management structure.

But it points out that a change at the top of Renault risks broadening the gap in the current Renault Nissan alliance.