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Carlos Ghosn re-arrested and thrown back in jail [UPDATE]

TOKYO — Tokyo prosecutors arrested Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn on Thursday for a fourth time, on fresh allegations that cut short his brief time outside detention. Early in the morning, Ghosn was taken from his apartment in Tokyo to the prosecutors' office and then sent to the Tokyo Detention Center, the same facility where he spent more than three months following his arrest in November. He had been released on bail just a month earlier. It's unclear how long Ghosn may be detained under the latest arrest, which involves what prosecutors said was a new alleged crime. "My arrest this morning is outrageous and arbitrary," Ghosn said in a statement issued Thursday. "It is part of another attempt by some individuals at Nissan to silence me by misleading the prosecutors. Why arrest me except to try to break me? I will not be broken. I am innocent of the groundless charges and accusations against me." The prosecutors defended the move, saying the latest allegations are a new case requiring precautions to prevent Ghosn from destroying evidence. They allege $5 million in funds sent by a Nissan subsidiary to an overseas dealership were diverted to a company controlled by Ghosn. "We now have a totally different case, and we are only doing what we think is right," Shin Kukimoto, deputy chief prosecutor at the Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office, told reporters. "As a result of our investigation, we have a new case in which he must be detained, and we have appropriately obtained an arrest warrant from the court," he said. Ghosn, 65, was first arrested on Nov. 19 on charges of under-reporting his compensation. He was rearrested twice in December, including on breach of trust charges. The multiple arrests prolong detentions without trial and are an oft-criticized prosecution tactic in Japan's criminal justice system. The allegations in the most recent arrest cover three money transfers from 2015 through last year, according to the prosecutors. Kukimoto said the new allegation of breach of trust is different from an earlier charge made in January. The companies where the money was transferred to, the motives, and the alleged scheme are all different, he said. He refused to identify the three companies allegedly involved but said one company was in effect owned by Ghosn. Unlike an earlier case, in which Ghosn caused damage to Nissan to benefit himself and a business partner, this time it was merely "for his own personal benefit," Kukimoto said.

Nissan rolls out updated Juke-R 2.0 at Goodwood

If you thought the original Nissan Juke-R was badass, just check out this latest version. Called the Juke-R 2.0, it's making its debut as promised this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, packing a series of upgrades to make it even more potent than the original version. And not the least of those is a new, 600-horsepower engine. For those who don't recall, Nissan first launched the Juke-R four years ago – the year after the production Juke first hit the market. The idea was to cross-breed the little crossover with a GT-R and create what was billed as the world's first crossover supercar. Version 2.0 takes the idea even further. In place of the 545-horsepower twin-turbo V6 from the GT-R available at the time it was built, the Juke-R 2.0 packs the upgraded 600-horsepower engine from the GT-R Nismo. It also incorporates the enhancements applied to the facelifted Juke revealed last year, including its revised lighting and bodywork. Only the Juke-R 2.0 also features entirely new bumpers front and rear, wheel arches, side sills, and more, all crafted from carbon fiber and coated in matte black. Nissan isn't saying exactly what she'll do. Considering, however, that the existing version could sprint from a standstill to 60 in three seconds flat, the added power could only make it even quicker. Le Mans driver Jann Mardenborough will be driving up the hill at Goodwood, and we doubt it'll take him much time at all to reach the top. THE NISSAN JUKE-R GETS AN EXCITING UPGRADE - INTRODUCING THE JUKE-R 2.0 - Nissan upgrades its legendary original Juke-R Crossover supercar - The Juke-R 2.0 concept makes its global dynamic debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed (26-28 June in the UK) - Drawing on impressive performance from the GT-R, the Juke-R 2.0 will reach 600bhp - LM P1 driver and GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough to showcase the Juke-R 2.0 up the famous Goodwood hill - Launched this Summer to kick start the fifth anniversary of the Nissan Juke The birth of the Nissan Juke-R set a benchmark in 2011 as the world's first Crossover supercar, marrying Nissan's innovative Juke with the engine and running gear from the legendary Nissan GT-R - the brand's flagship sportscar. Now four years on, Juke-R has been given an exciting upgrade to reflect the latest model of the Juke coupled with even more power and bolder styling - welcome the Juke-R 2.0.

Nissan shows off Le Mans Prototype, says it's world's fastest electric racer [w/video]

Nissan has announced plans and details around its upcoming all-electric racing car, the ZEOD RC. The Zero Emission On Demand Racing car is said to be capable of a top speed in excess of 300 kilometers per hour (186.4 miles per hour), is shaped a bit like the closed-cockpit version of the DeltaWing (albeit, to our eyes, better looking) and will make its debut in 2014 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This weekend, visitors to the race will have the opportunity to view the prototype near the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Nissan's ZEOD RC has been invited by Le Mans organizers to compete as the Garage 56 entry in next year's race; that's essentially a spot on the grid held for vehicles with new and/or cutting edge technology.
Short of announcing a partnership with Michelin to develop tires for the EV racecar, however, Nissan is mum on any kind of battery or motor specification for the ZEOD. The press release (below) offers a sense that the Nissan and Nismo teams have still got a lot of work to do before the 2014 race. Ben Bowlby, designer of the ZEOD RC, says "We have many options to consider and test. The test program is part of a longer term goal of developing a system and a set of rules for this type of technology in partnership with the ACO that would be best suited to competing at the highest level of this sport."