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Carlos Ghosn's jail time extended, as family says he was framed

TOKYO — Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn will be detained at least through Jan. 11, the Tokyo District Court said Monday, as the once-revered auto industry figure faces allegations that have marked a stunning downfall. Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades and helped save the Japanese automaker from near bankruptcy, was arrested Nov. 19 on suspicion of falsifying financial reports. He also faces a breach of trust allegation, for which his detention had been approved previously through Jan. 1. The Tokyo District Court said in a statement that it had approved prosecutors' request for a 10-day extension. Ghosn has been charged in the first set of allegations, about under-reporting Ghosn's pay by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) in 2011-2015. Related: Top 10 automotive stories of 2018 Those close to Ghosn and his family say he is asserting his innocence as the alleged underreported amount of money was never really decided or paid, and Nissan never suffered any monetary losses from the alleged breach of trust. It is unclear when Ghosn may be released on bail. Tokyo prosecutors consider Ghosn, a Brazilian-born Frenchman of Lebanese ancestry, a flight risk. In Japan, formal charges can mean a suspect will get detained for months, sometimes until the trial starts, because of fears of tampered evidence. Some experts are puzzled that the allegations against Kelly and Ghosn are about underreporting income from Nissan. Nissan is in charge of filing such financial reports, not individual executives. Over the weekend, The New York Times published an article, "The Rise and Fall of Carlos Ghosn," describing his arrest as well as his almost legendary ascendance as the outsider who saved Nissan: "He was a person who was above the clouds," said one Nissan employee. But it's clear from the article that his autocratic style has long rankled the Japanese. In a sidebar, the NYT also covered accusations from Ghosn's daughters that Nissan had set him up for a fall, part of a mutiny against his explorations of a merger between Nissan and Renault. They point out that Hiroto Saikawa, the chief executive of Nissan, complained about the nature of the alliance in the first news conference following Ghosn's arrest. "Wow," daughter Caroline Ghosn said. "He didn't even waste a breath. He didn't even try to cover up the fact that the merger had something to do with this." The NYT articles included Ghosn family photos showing a softer side to the stern auto executive.

No one wants to buy Mitsubishi's only US plant

Mitsubishi Motors will very likely close its factory in Normal, IL, later this year after failing to find another company in the auto market to take over its only manufacturing site in the US. "We have given up looking for an automaker to buy the plant, but we are looking for possible buyers from other industries," a Mitsubishi spokesperson told Reuters. Mitsubishi announced plans to leave the site in 2015 to shift its business strategy toward Asia. The factory started as a joint venture with Chrysler in 1988 and was the only plant from a Japanese automaker in the US with a UAW-represented workforce. This was allegedly a sticking point when finding a buyer because other companies in the industry didn't want to take on the union employees' contract. The Normal factory ended assembly of the Outlander Sport in November 2015 and laid off 1,000 workers at that time. The site will continue to make car parts until May, and then Mitsubishi will let go of the remaining 250 employees. The costs of shutting down the factory could be as high as 30 billion yen ($255 million), but a company spokesperson wouldn't confirm that figure to Reuters. Mitsubishi's fortunes seem on the upswing in the US as of late. The company's deliveries jumped 22.8 percent in 2015 to a total of 95,342 vehicles, and the last fiscal year brought the automaker's first operating profit in this region in seven years. Related Video:

2016 Mitsubishi Outlander confirmed for New York debut

Mitsubishi is putting a lot of work into updating its lineup this year after strong sales growth in 2014. In addition to bringing the Concept GC-PHEV (pictured above) to the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, the Japanese brand is already spilling the beans about its plans for the New York Auto Show. "All of our 2016 model year vehicles will be refreshed with our new brand identity, starting with the 2016 Outlander, which will make its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in April," Mitsubishi Motors North America Executive Vice President Don Swearingen said at the Chicago show. The future Outlander has already been spied testing in Europe. However, the launch of the plug-in variant has reportedly been pushed back until some time around April 2016. In the meantime, the Mitsubishi is showing the Concept GC-PHEV from an earlier Tokyo Motor Show in the Windy City. The company promises the vehicle's chunky design suggests its future design language, which is rumored to preview a future Montero. Under the hood, the GC-PHEV has a supercharged V6 and plug-in hybrid making 335 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic gearbox with power going to all four wheels. The GC-PHEV also has some sci-fi features to go with its next-gen looks, including something called the Tactical Table. While the name sounds like a high-tech way to play board games, the system lets occupants share information from a smartphone with the vehicle and other passengers. The concept includes an augmented reality windshield and collision mitigating braking, as well. Related Video: MITSUBISHI MOTORS CONCEPT GC-PHEV MAKES NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT AT THE 2015 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Futuristic, full-size crossover concept provides a glimpse at the brand's new design language applied to a large SUV Features a powerful yet highly efficient supercharged V-6/electric motor plug-in hybrid, 8-speed automatic transmission and full-time Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive Features technology that Mitsubishi is working towards incorporating into production vehicles Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today unveiled the futuristic Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. The full-size SVU concept provides a glimpse at the brand's new design language applied to a large vehicle.