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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.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.
According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.

2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross arrives in the U.S., pricing starts at $24,290

The first shipment of the 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has arrived in the United States. Mitsubishi's new all-wheel drive compact crossover will go on sale in showrooms in early March with a starting price of $24,290, including a destination charge of $995. The Eclipse Cross debuted last year at the Geneva Motor Show with design cues borrowed from the XR-PHEV II Concept from 2015. The exterior design, which Mitsubishi says is inspired by a runner in the "Get set" position, includes a forward-raked rear window, wedge profile and deep side crease. Its starting price slots it just below competitors like the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Tucson, and it will come in four trim levels. Those include the base ES, which is the only trim available with front-wheel drive. Adding all-wheel drive, or S-AWC in Mitsubishi speak, adds only $600 to the base price. The LE S-AWC trim starts at $25,890 and the range-topping SE S-AWC starts at $27,390, though neither are eligible for options, so those are pretty much the prices customers will be dealing with. All trim levels are powered by a direct-injection turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four that makes 152 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The S-AWC acronym would stand for Super All-Wheel Control, Mitsubishi's system that manages torque supplied to each wheel for added straight-line stability and cornering performance. It offers three selectable driving modes — auto, snow and gravel — to enhance performance. Safety technology includes blind-spot warning and lane-change assist, forward collision mitigation and lane-departure warning, plus a system that automatically adjusts headlight brightness to the conditions. Interior features include an available 7-inch infotainment display with a touchpad controller, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus voice recognition via Google Assistant or Siri. There's also a full-color LCD head-up display available. A dual-pane sunroof and heated rear seats are some of the other niceties. The Eclipse Cross joins the brand's stable of crossovers, the Outlander and slightly smaller Outlander Sport, which helped Mitsubishi to a banner year in 2017, selling more than 100,000 vehicles for the first time in a decade. It also joins the Outlander PHEV, also new for 2018. Related Video: