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Renault plans to sail — literally, sail — on new class of cargo ship

Going green on the ocean may take another step toward reality in about two years, when Renault is expected to load automobiles aboard wind-powered ships for delivery around the world. The partnership between the car maker and Neoline, a French-based company, aims to reduce Renault’s global carbon footprint by eliminating many of the emissions from traditional fuel-powered cargo ships. Neoline officials said that, when propelled solely by the wind, their sailing ships' total emissions drop by as much as 90 percent. The roll-on-roll-off ships will use solid sails that are 50 meters tall. The company says it will start testing the program in 2024 by transporting vehicles to North America and other locales from Saint-Nazaire, in western France. Renault has pledged to achieve zero carbon in Europe by 2030 and worldwide by 2050. Renault, now part of an alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi, hasnÂ’t sold cars in the U.S. market under its own brand name since 1987. A U.S. return as been considered for years, and the partners are now in talks that could reshape the alliance. The shipper's intent to deliver vehicles to North America is an intriguing wrinkle to those talks. The firm says that about 300 to 400 vehicles can be shipped on each Neoline vessel, although the loading will take longer that it would using a traditional cargo ship. A demonstration vessel shown was 446 feet in total length and had more than 45,000 square feet of sail. The partnership between Renault and Neoline was first announced in 2018.   Green Mitsubishi Nissan Green Culture

Renault wants to merge with Nissan, then go after Fiat Chrysler

The late Sergio Marchionne used to say consolidation would be the only way to compete against the biggest global carmakers. The company looks certain to fulfill that goal, but perhaps not in the way he intended. The Financial Times reports that Renault wants to begin merger talks with Nissan in the next 12 months. Assuming a merger gets completed, the plan is for the combined company to then pursue another merger, with Fiat Chrysler a prime target. Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi have been busy since cutting ties with ex-alliance boss Carlos Ghosn. They formed a new alliance board with Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard at the helm, Renault has shrunk the size of its board while Nissan added more outside directors, and the two agreed to a new governance structure to ease operational decision making. All three automakers have walked away from Ghosn-era goals to sell 14 million cars and find 10 billion euros in savings by 2022. New strategic plans for all three car companies are in the works. With stability in sight, it's said Senard wants to succeed where Ghosn failed — a full-fledged merger between Renault and Nissan with talks to begin "as soon as possible." Ghosn's pursuit of a merger last year in attempt to make the 20-year-old alliance "irreversible" is part of what led to his downfall, with Nissan executives including CEO Hiroto Saikawa against the push. The new effort is presented as larger scale being the only way for the alliance to take on companies like Volkswagen and Toyota. But the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi trio sold 10.76 million cars around the world last year, second to Volkswagen with 10.83 million sales, ahead of Toyota with 10.39 million. If Nissan hadn't suffered a 2.8 percent dip in sales, the alliance would have taken the top spot. If a little scale is good that means more is better, right? Pulling Fiat Chrysler into the alliance would add around 5 million annual sales, and would be another move in Ghosn's footsteps. The former honcho is said to have "held talks with FCA" about some kind of union within the past three years. The French government, which has a 15 percent stake in Renault and double voting rights, shut down the initiative. It's not clear if FCA will be an independent company by the time a potential Nissan-Renault merger closed, though.

U.S. will extradite father and son charged in Ghosn escape to Japan

BOSTON — An American father and son accused of helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan are being handed over on Monday to Japanese authorities for extradition from the United States, a person familiar with the matter said. The U.S. Supreme Court last month cleared the way for the extradition of U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, who are accused of helping Ghosn flee Japan while he was awaiting trial on financial charges. The Taylors, who have been in U.S. custody since their arrest in May, left the jail early on Monday to be flown to Japan, according to the person. Defense attorney Paul Kelly did not respond to a request for comment but told the Associated Press that the men had been turned over for extradition. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment. They were charged last year with helping Ghosn flee Japan on Dec. 29, 2019, hidden in a box and on a private jet before reaching his childhood home, Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn was awaiting trial on charges that he had engaged in financial wrongdoing, including by understating his compensation in Nissan's financial statements. Ghosn denies wrongdoing. Prosecutors said the elder Taylor, a 60-year-old private security specialist, and Peter Taylor, 27, received $1.3 million for their services. The Taylors waged a months-long campaign to press their case against extradition in the courts, media, State Department and White House with the aid of a collection of high-powered lawyers and lobbyists. The Taylors' lawyers argued unsuccessfully in U.S. courts that their clients could not be prosecuted in Japan for helping someone "bail jump" and that, if extradited, they faced the prospect of relentless interrogations and torture. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. CES 2020 and Carlos Ghosn | Autoblog Podcast #609