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Renault ousts CEO days after Nissan gets a new one

Newly-appointed interim CEO Clotilde Delbos and Chairman of Renault SA Jean-Dominique Senard. / Reuters   PARIS — Renault ousted chief executive Thierry Bollore on Friday, as the French carmaker and its Japanese partner Nissan seek to rekindle their alliance following the scandal-hit tenure of former alliance supremo Carlos Ghosn. Tensions between Renault and Nissan, which picked a new CEO on Tuesday, have been high since Ghosn's arrest in Tokyo last year on allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies. Bollore, who was close to Ghosn and had strained relations with Nissan's previous boss, will be replaced on an interim basis by Renault finance director Clotilde Delbos. With new faces at the helm, Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard is hoping to draw a line under almost a year of turmoil and revive cooperation between two carmakers once seen as destined to fully merge. That is vital at a time when auto markets are slowing and carmakers are having to invest in costly new technologies as well as meet challenging European emissions regulations. "We're at a new stage now for this alliance. Sometimes you need new management ... to breathe new life into things," Senard, who was brought in earlier this year from tyre maker Michelin, told a news conference in Paris. He said three members of Renault's 18-strong board abstained in the vote to remove Bollore, who hit out at his looming dismissal in a newspaper interview the night before, calling it a coup. Following Ghosn's arrest, a feeling of stagnation around joint Renault-Nissan projects, including on issues such as advancing on cost savings, had begun to set in, people at Renault have said. These would now be the first priority, according to a source close to the carmaker. "There are a lot of concrete matters that have already been identified, including on the industrial front: working on batteries, electric vehicles, connectivity, purchasing and self-driving cars," the source said. Shares in Renault closed up 5.1%. 'Coup de force' Tensions between Renault and Nissan were further inflamed this year, including during various spats over governance reforms, and after a failed deal to pair Renault up with Fiat Chrysler, which withdrew a merger offer. Senard reiterated on Friday that a tie-up with Fiat, which was abandoned in June, was not at present on the agenda.

Japan plans real-world diesel emissions test after companies fail

Japan's transport ministry plans to start real-world diesel emissions tests after an experiment found four models from Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi that produced more nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than the nation's rules allow, according to The Japan Times. Regulators there usually only perform emissions checks in the lab. The VW diesel scandal has everyone double-checking their figures. Diesel versions of the Toyota Hiace van, Land Cruiser Prado, and Nissan X-Trail produced up to 10 times more NOx than allowed. The Mitsubishi Delica D:5 was up to five times over the limit, The Wall Street Journal reports. There was no evidence of defeat devices in the vehicles. Mazda performed well in the experiment, though. The CX-5 passed with nearly the same results on the road and in the lab. The Demio, better known as the Mazda2, did nearly as well with only slighter higher figures in the real world than in the controlled setting. The experimenters theorized the reason for the excessive emissions was that cold weather caused the engines' software to shut off the exhaust gas recirculation to prevent damage, according to the WSJ. However, this behavior also increased NOx production. Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi don't have to worry about punishment from the transport ministry because this check was just an experiment. Their models already passed the mandated lab tests, which was the only requirement, according to The Japan Times. As governments begin greater real-world emissions tests, the results suggests diesels aren't very clean. A recent check in France found models from Ford, Renault, and Mercedes-Benz that didn't perform up to the standards. Regulators in India conducted similar evaluations and ordered VW to recall over 300,000 vehicles. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Video shows Tesla robots at work, Ghosn disappointed by China's EV market

A video from The Wall Street Journal shows Tesla's new assembly robots at work. The hulking bots are each named after X-Men superhero characters to give them a sense of familiarity and make them less intimidating to the humans working alongside them. Their monikers also reflect their superhuman levels of strength. The naming of the robots appears to have had the intended effect, as human employees refer to the automated machines as colleagues, and are happy to have the help moving the heavy cars around the factory floor. The robots were added as part of an upgrade and expansion to Tesla's factory in Fremont, CA last year. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says that China should offer more incentives to improve disappointing EV sales. Nissan sells its Leaf EV in China as the e30 under its Venucia brand. The company didn't disclose sales figures, but Ghosn is disappointed that EVs aren't "taking off" in China like they are in other markets. Until the market improves for the e30, Ghosn says Nissan probably won't introduce other EVs to China. "The main challenge today is really to encourage, put more incentives, in order for the consumer to buy in," says Ghosn. "Before adding more cars and bringing more technology, we just need to make sure we can sell the technology we already put into the ground." Read more at Automotive News. Total in France will convert its La Mede petroleum refinery to produce biodiesel. Total will stop producing petroleum at the refinery by the end of 2016, then spend $216 million to convert it into the country's first biorefinery. Improved fuel economy and energy efficiency have helped reduce demand for petroleum products in Europe by 15 percent since 2008. Total's response to "the crisis in the European refining industry" is "to innovate and adapt to meet shifting demand trends," according to Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne. "The central focus of Total's plan for our French refining business is to realign our operations and products to changing markets." Read more at Domestic Fuel, or in the press release below. Total's French Refining Roadmap: Upgrade Donges and Transform La Mede April 16, 2015 Paris – Total today presented its French refining roadmap to employee representatives. The plan is designed to give each Total's refining site in France the means to resist in a volatile environment and perform profitably.