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Nissan names Makoto Uchida as next CEO

TOKYO — Nissan named Makoto Uchida, the head of its Chinese business, as its next CEO, picking an executive known for close ties to top shareholder Renault and for a frank, straight-talking manner that has marked him as an outsider. By selecting Senior Vice President Uchida, Nissan's board has gone with someone slightly at odds with its traditional corporate culture. He joined the carmaker mid-career in 2003, a rarity in a country where top executives usually spend their entire working lives at the same company. Known for his unflagging work ethic and relentless focus on cost control, Uchida was described by one long-time associate who spoke on condition of anonymity as a "foreigner with a Japanese face" — direct and to the point in conversations. He will be joined by newly appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ashwani Gupta, currently COO of junior partner Mitsubishi Motors, in trying to find new ways to revive a business that has been struggling for months with plunging profits, management scandal and tensions with Renault. Japan's second-largest automaker has been shaken in particular by the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn last year on allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies, and the more recent departure of CEO Hiroto Saikawa after he admitted to being improperly overpaid. Whether the 58-year-old former theology student can deliver a miracle turnaround — particularly at Nissan's business in the United States — and repair ties with Renault will now be a focus for investors. "The biggest business challenge for Nissan is speeding up," the head of Nissan's nominations committee, Masakazu Toyoda, told a news conference. "Speedy decision making is a challenge that Uchida raised, and to this end he said that he wants to empower people as much as possible, so we decided to ask Uchida to take on the CEO role." One source close to Renault described the selection as "a victory for the alliance", saying that both Uchida and Gupta knew the business and were ready to help Nissan recover. 'ISN'T REALLY JAPANESE' Before his ouster, Ghosn had been working on a plan for a full merger of Renault and Nissan, but had met resistance in Japan, which is concerned about French influence in the alliance. The French government is a major Renault shareholder. Relations were further strained this year when Renault held abortive merger talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nikola One to debut in December, UK charging to outnumber gas stations by 2020

Nikola Motor Company plans to unveil its Nikola One electric truck prototype on December 2, 2016. The company, based in Salt Lake City, says it has "engineered the holy grail of the trucking industry," according to founder and CEO Trevor Milton. "We are not aware of any zero emission truck in the world that can haul 80,000 pounds more than 1,000 miles and do it without stopping. The Nikola One requires only 15 minutes of downtime before heading out for the next 1,000 miles." Nikola also has plans to build emissions-free power plants. Read more in the press release from Nikola, or at the company website. Nissan says EV charging stations will outnumber gas stations in the UK by 2020. The UK had just 8,472 gas stations at the end of 2015, down from 37,539 in 1970. Extrapolating that to 2020, the UK is expected to be home to fewer than 7,870 fuel stations. By then, and possibly much sooner, charging stations are expected to surpass 7,900, up from 4,100 in 2016. Growing interest in EVs, infrastructure expansion, and better batteries mean that "the tipping point for mass EV uptake is upon us," according to Nissan EV Manager Edward Jones. Read more from Nissan, or at Green Car Congress. BMW is expanding its ChargeNow service to 25 markets. In a partnership with EVgo, BMW i3 and i8 customers will have the option of an annual or pay-as-you-go ChargeNow membership with service in cities around the country, with "introductory pricing" available until July 31, 2017. For those i3 owners in California already enrolled in the DC fast charging program, their free access is expiring. See more details about the program and its locations in the BMW i forum, and read more at Green Car Reports. Featured Gallery Nikola One Electric Semi Truck Related Gallery BMW i3 Gesture Parking News Source: Nikola, Nikola, Nissan, Green Car Congress, Green Car Reports, The Circuit Green BMW Automakers Nissan Green Automakers Truck Commercial Vehicles Electric Future Vehicles recharge wrapup

Nissan recalls nearly 20,000 NV vans over gearshift issue

Nissan is recalling 18,800 NV vans built between December 20, 2010 and January 4, 2013. Certain 2012 and 2013 models equipped with a steering-column-mounted transmission shift levers may have been built with improperly installed shift mechanisms.
If the NV's gear selector plate lock clip wasn't installed correctly, normal road vibration could result in a gear position indicator that does not match the actual gear selection. As a result, when the driver selects 'park,' the transmission could still be in gear or in neutral, and roll away. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says this condition greatly increased the risk of accident and injury.
Nissan will inspect the gear selector lock clip and replace the part if necessary free of charge. Owners can expect to be notified once the recall campaign begins on April 8, 2013. Read the full recall notice below for more information.