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Nissan, Renault break up the Ghosn-style almighty chairmanship

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Japan's Nissan Motor and France's Renault said they would retool the world's top car-making alliance to put themselves on more equal footing, breaking up the all-powerful chairmanship previously wielded by ousted boss Carlos Ghosn. The removal of Ghosn, credited for rescuing Nissan from near-bankruptcy in 1999, had caused much uncertainty about the future of the alliance and some speculation the partnership could even unravel. The companies, together with junior ally Mitsubishi Motors, on Tuesday said the chairman of Renault would serve as the head of the alliance but — in a critical sign of the rebalancing — not as chairman of Nissan. "This is a very special day for the alliance," Renault SA's chairman, Jean-Dominique Senard, told reporters after a meeting at Nissan's Yokohama headquarters. He spoke to reporters along with Renault's chief executive, Thierry Bollore; Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa; and Osamu Masuko, CEO of the smaller Japanese alliance partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Those four executives will meet every month in Paris or Tokyo and oversee various projects, helping to make the companies' operations more efficient, they said. Nissan has said that Ghosn wielded too much power, creating a lack of oversight and corporate governance. It was not clear who would become Nissan's chairman, vacant since Ghosn was arrested in Japan in November. But the automakers gave no indication of any immediate change in their cross-shareholding agreement, one which has given smaller Renault SA more sway over Nissan. The alliance did not announce any changes in mutual stake holdings. The so-called Restated Alliance Master Agreement that has bound them together so far remains intact, they said. "We are fostering a new start of the alliance. There is nothing to do with the shareholdings and the cross-shareholdings that are still there and still in place," Renault Chairman Senard said. "Our future lies in the efficiency of this alliance," he told reporters at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama. Senard also said he would not seek to be chairman of Nissan, but instead was a "natural candidate" to be vice-chairman. Former Nissan chairman Ghosn was released on a $9 million bail last week after spending more than 100 days in a Tokyo detention center.

Nissan Silvia smuggler faces maximum 20-year, $250k sentence

Thinking about trying to sneak a JDM car into the United States? Better think twice, because according to the Clarion-Ledger, one man in Mississippi has found himself in hot water for smuggling a Nissan Silvia into the country. Few details of the case are available, but the Silvia has a strong following among JDM enthusiasts despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it was never officially sold Stateside. The low-slung coupe was offered in Japan and other markets from 1964 through 1968 and again from 1974 to 2002. Though it was powered principally with a four-cylinder engine, its front-engine/rear-drive layout made it popular on the tuning and drifting scenes. The 240SX that was offered Stateside was related, but not strictly speaking the same vehicle. It's likely because the Silvia was never certified for use on American roads (and because the culprit apparently didn't go through the correct channels) that the unidentified man in Ocean Springs, MS, is reportedly facing a $250,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison. Here's hoping whatever else he's got in the driveway is just as fast, because it looks like he'll have a lot of time to make up for. News Source: The Clarion-LedgerImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL Government/Legal Nissan Coupe import gray market nissan silvia

How did Nissan tweet a response to the Royal Baby announcement so quickly?

A mere seven minutes after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced they were pregnant with their second child, Nissan had the perfect post circulating on the Twittersphere. How did Nissan know to expect Kate and William were expecting? By paying attention to the Internet zeitgeist.
It could be triplets and there would *still* be enough room for the Queen... #XTrail #SevenSeats #RoyalBaby pic.twitter.com/k4HiNAb7lq

- NissanUK (@NissanUK) September 8, 2014