2006 - Infiniti Fx on 2040-cars

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Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa resigns, successor to be named

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa tendered his resignation Monday after acknowledging that he had received dubious income and vowed to pass the leadership of the Japanese automaker to a new generation. Board member Yasushi Kimura told reporters at an evening news conference at company headquarters in Yokohama that the board has approved Saikawa's resignation, effective Sept. 16, and a successor will be appointed next month. A search is underway, he added. Calls for Saikawa's resignation, which arose after the arrest last year of his predecessor, Carlos Ghosn, on various financial misconduct allegations, have grown louder after Saikawa acknowledged last week that he had received dubious payments. The income was linked to the stock price of Nissan Motor Co., and he has said his pay got inflated by illicitly adjusting the date for cashing in. The automaker's board met to look into the allegations against Saikawa, as well as other issues related to Ghosn's allegations and corporate ethics at the company. Kimura said the income Saikawa had received was confirmed as "not illegal." Ghosn, who is out on bail and awaiting trial, says he's innocent. Kimura and three other board members, who all have backgrounds outside the company, said their investigation of the scandal over Ghosn's arrest found that alleged misconduct by Ghosn and Greg Kelly, a former board member who was also arrested, had caused 35 billion yen ($350 million) in damage to the company. Nissan will seek a repayment of the damages, Kimura said. The board said about 10 candidates are being considered as a replacement for Saikawa. They did not identify them, but said outsiders and non-Japanese are on the list. Until a successor is decided, Chief Operating Officer Yasuhiro Yamauchi will serve as interim chief, the board said. Saikawa has not been charged. "I have been trying to do what needs to be done so that I can pass the baton over as soon as possible," he told reporters earlier in the day, referring to his willingness to leave his job. Saikawa did not appear at the news conference initially, but the four board members who led the event said he would later. Saikawa has said he didn't know about the improprieties, promised to return the money and blamed the system he said Ghosn had created at Nissan for the dubious payments. Japanese media reports said Saikawa had received tens of millions of yen (hundreds of thousands of dollars) in extra compensation.

Infiniti signs four-year deal to become title sponsor of Red Bull Racing

The chief of Infiniti's Formula One motorsport involvement, Andreas Sigl, said just last week that the brand was "going longer and deeper" into its collaboration with Red Bull, and the proof has already come: the Japanese luxury brand has signed a four-year deal to become the title sponsor of Red Bull Racing. From next year the team will be Infiniti Red Bull Racing.
The move cements Infiniti's intention to make the most of the already-ongoing technical collaboration it has had with Red Bull Racing for two years - this year Milton Keynes team has been testing Infiniti's Scratch Heal paint for aero properties and during the young driver test it used KERS batteries that were wholly developed by Infiniti's parent company, Nissan.
Earning a tip of the hat for not giving into cheap-trick branding, the engines will continue to be branded as Renault. Renault/Nissan CEO does not "want any confusion within the Alliance as to who does what."

NHTSA Probes Nearly 400,000 Infiniti, Honda Vehicles Over Steering Faults

As many as 391,000 vehicles from Honda and Infiniti may eventually need to be recalled as a result of two, separately announced Preliminary Evaluations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ascertain the scope of the potential safety hazards. In one of the queries, NHTSA is looking into 24 reports from drivers of the 2013 Honda Accord who say they had total loss of their power steering or experienced a sudden increase in the necessary effort to turn the wheel. In four cases, the problem may be linked to crashes. According to the claims, 13 people reported seeing a warning message during the failure. Turning off the car and restarting it would fix the issue in some cases. If a recall is necessary, it could affect an estimated 374,000 Accords. The second investigation is much smaller in scope. The safety agency is investigating the 2008 Infiniti EX35 after two complaints of the steering wheel shaft separating and the vehicle losing the ability to steer. Both reports say the steering became loose when driving and then completely failed once the vehicle was stopped. A recall for the problem would affect an estimated 17,000 vehicles. Recalls Honda Infiniti Safety NHTSA steering