2005 Nissan Pathfinder Se 2wd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Auto industry insider previews tell-all book, What Did Jesus Drive?

"It's about some of the biggest crises in history. It's about who did it right and who did it wrong." - Jason Vines
Jason Vines, the former head of public relations at Chrysler, Ford and Nissan, has seen a lot during his more than 30-year career, and now he's offering a behind-the-scenes look at the auto industry in his tell-all book What Did Jesus Drive? that went on sale this month.

Nissan Maxima was almost axed

The redesigned 2016 Nissan Maxima goes on sale in early June, but according to Automotive News, this eighth-generation model almost didn't see the light of day. That's the word from Pierre Loing, vice president of North American product planning. "A lot of people assume it was a forgone conclusion that, of course we will continue with another Maxima," Loing told Automotive News. "But frankly, the forgone conclusion at that moment was that there would not be another Maxima." When Loing joined Nissan in 2012, he was tasked with building a case for a new Maxima. The Japanese automaker was focused on making cost-efficient, global platforms, but the Maxima sold almost exclusively in North America. And not in high numbers, either. But Loing says Maxima is an important part of Nissan's history in the United States. The car was introduced in 1981, and Loing says Maxima perhaps has better name recognition than Nissan itself. The company is pleased with its 2016 Maxima. "When I look at this car, I'm proudest of the fact that it's here at all," Takeshi Yamaguchi, former Nissan North America VP of vehicle engineering, told Automotive News. "And on top of that, I'm proud of that fact that we took the Maxima beyond where it was, instead of taking it backward." Related Video:

Nissan expands Ghosn probe to more countries, executive Munoz under scrutiny, sources say

BEIJING — Nissan Motor Co Ltd has broadened its investigation into ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn to include dealings that took place in the United States, India and Latin America, three people with knowledge of the inquiry said. In one aspect of their internal probe, company investigators are looking into decisions made in the United States by Jose Munoz who led Nissan's North American operations from 2014 to 2018, the people said. Munoz was recently placed on a leave of absence due to the probe, they added. Nissan said this month that Munoz, its chief performance officer and widely seen within the industry as close to Ghosn, was on leave "to allow him to assist the company by concentrating on special tasks arising from recent events." Munoz is not cooperating with investigators, two of the people with knowledge of the probe said, both describing his actions as "stonewalling". One of the sources described Munoz, who currently heads Nissan's China operations, as a "person of interest" in the probe, adding that it was not clear whether he would be accused of any wrongdoing. Munoz, 53, did not reply to Reuters requests for comment. The people with knowledge of the probe spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. A lawyer for Ghosn, Motonari Otsuru, said in an emailed comment: "I am unaware of this." Some of the questions put to Munoz relate to dealer franchise rights, one of the sources said. Other questions relate to contracts with parts suppliers and service providers that Munoz approved when he was at the helm of Nissan's U.S. operations, another source said. The sources said the findings made as part of the probe into Ghosn's affairs in the U.S. market are being shared with prosecutors. Tokyo prosecutors declined to comment. Nissan has said its internal investigation had uncovered "substantial and convincing evidence of misconduct" by Ghosn and that its scope is expanding. Ghosn, once the most celebrated executives in the auto industry and the anchor of Nissan's alliance with France's Renault SA, has been charged with under-reporting his income. On Friday, he was also charged with aggravated breach of trust, accused of shifting personal investment losses worth 1.85 billion yen ($17 million) to Nissan. In his first public appearance since his Nov.