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Nissan executive Jun Seki resigns to become president of Nidec

YOKOHAMA, Japan — The executive tasked with leading a recovery at Nissan said he had decided to resign just weeks into his new job, a move that could disrupt the automaker's push to turn the corner on scandal and slumping sales. Jun Seki, Nissan's vice chief operating officer and a former contender for chief executive, told Reuters he was leaving to become the president of Nidec, a Kyoto-based manufacturer of automotive components and precision motors. He will likely depart in January after three decades at Nissan, including a stint heading its China business. "I love Nissan and I feel bad about leaving the turnaround work unfinished, but I am 58 years old, and this is an offer I could not refuse. It's probably my last chance to lead a company too," he said in a brief interview. "It's not about money. In fact, I will take a financial hit since Nissan pays us well," Seki said. He declined to elaborate further. Nissan and Nidec declined to comment. Seeking to roll back some of the costly expansion under ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn, Nissan has embarked on wide-ranging turnaround plan. That plan, which began in April, is now on track to generate a cumulative few hundred billion yen in cost cuts and operational efficiency gains by the year to March 2022, according to two Nissan sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. One hundred billion yen is roughly equal to $915 million (707 million pounds). Adding to concerns about disruption among Nissan's top management, the sources said that Seki, Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta and Chief Executive Makoto Uchida have so far failed to gel as a team after being named to their posts in October. They officially took over on Dec. 1. "There was no instant, cohesive chemistry achieved by those appointments," one of the sources said. Gupta and Uchida were not immediately available for comment. Seki's resignation could further complicate Nissan's relationship with top shareholder Renault SA. Seki recently worked in Paris for a year and was seen as relatively close to the French automaker. PERSUADED IN THE END Asked if he was leaving Nissan because he was passed over for the role of chief executive, Seki said that was not the case but did not elaborate. He and Uchida, most recently the head of the China business, had been seen as top contenders for the CEO job. Reuters reported in September that Uchida was seen as more favored by Renault.

Nissan Leaf's No Charge To Charge now available in Boston

Depending on where you buy your all-electric Nissan Leaf, there's a pretty sweet deal attached. In some parts of the US – most recently, now also in Boston, MA – new Leafs come with the "No Charge To Charge" program, which allows drivers to recharge their batteries at some public charging stations for free. Today's announcement that Boston will join the program brings the total number to 17 area, and Nissan has said it will eventually expand No Charge To Charge to at least 25 markets in the US by the end of the year. As Nissan representatives explained when the program was first announced at the 2014 New York Auto Show, there are limits on the program. Without paying, you can plug your new Leaf into a public CHAdeMO DC fast charger for a maximum of 30 minutes and just one hour at Level 2 stations. You can find a list of No Charge stations from companies like ChargePoint, Blink, AeroVironment, and NRG eVgo here. Related Video: CALLING ALL BOSTONIANS: NISSAN'S "NO CHARGE TO CHARGE" PROGRAM ARRIVES IN BEAN TOWN BOSTON (July 6, 2015) – Nissan is launching its "No Charge to Charge" promotion for Boston-area Nissan LEAF buyers, providing two years complimentary public charging with the purchase of the all-electric car from LEAF-certified dealers in the Boston market. "Nissan LEAF is an attractive option for Boston car buyers because it is fun to drive and offers significantly lower operating costs when compared to a gas-powered car," said Andrew Speaker, director, Electric Vehicle (EV) Sales & Marketing, Nissan. "EV charging infrastructure continues to grow in Boston, and access to free public charging for new LEAF buyers helps make owning an all-electric vehicle even more cost-effective and convenient." "No Charge to Charge" launches at Nissan LEAF dealers in the Boston market on July 1. The promotion includes access to fast chargers that can charge a LEAF battery pack from empty to 80 percent in about 30 minutes, as well as level 2 (240V) chargers spread throughout the Boston area. Nissan now offers "No Charge to Charge" in 17 U.S. markets, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Fresno, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Chicago, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Denver and Washington, D.C. Nissan plans to offer the "No Charge to Charge" program at LEAF dealers in a total of at least 25 U.S. markets later this year.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder: February 2013

I took the keys to our long-term 2013 Nissan Pathfinder from Editor-in-Chief Neff (who left me with an empty gas tank, for the record) directly following the Detroit Auto Show. That means that, by the time you all read this, I'll have been in possession of the Pathfinder for more time, and driven it more miles than any Autoblogger so far. I'd like to think that I've made good use of it... with one small exception.
For those of you that live outside of the Snow Belt and who may routinely ignore the Weather Channel out of cocky certainty - I'm looking at you, American Southwest - there's been some real weather in our part of the world this winter. A year ago, I'd basically packed up my shovel and my driveway salt by Valentine's Day; while the last quarter of 2012 and beginning of 2013 have seen back-wrenching piles of snow fall on and around my Michigan home. Good times, in other words, to test the all-weather capabilities of our all-wheel-drive Pathfinder.