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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.

France's Macron says Renault-Nissan partnership is a 'jewel' to be strengthened

TOKYO — French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for further synergies and alliances to strengthen the Renault-Nissan partnership in a global market. "The Renault-Nissan alliance is a jewel in the industry," Macron told French expatriates in Tokyo. "We created a giant which we must not only preserve but develop synergies and alliances to strengthen it in the face of international competition." His comments appeared to leave open the possibility both of a deeper integration of the 20-year-old Renault-Nissan alliance, which has been shaken by the scandal over its former chief Carlos Ghosn, and tie-ups with other manufacturers. Last month, Renault and Italian-American group Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced they were in merger talks. But the discussions were called off after FCA grew frustrated with the role the French state was playing, especially its need to secure agreement from Nissan over how to move the merger forward. Since the break-off of the FCA talks, Renault executives have been looking to rebuild ties with Nissan, which is keen to reduce the influence the French state has in the alliance via its 15% stake in Renault. Renault owns 43% of the Japanese automaker, which in turn holds a 15%, non-voting stake in its partner. Nissan on Tuesday threw cold water on hopes for a quick fix to strained relations with France's Renault SA , saying inequality between the partners could unravel their two-decade-old automaking alliance. Macron said on Wednesday France would remain vigilant that Carlos Ghosn's presumption of innocence and the former Renault-Nissan leader's rights to defend himself in a Japanese lawcase are respected. "It's not up to the French president to interfere publicly in a judicial case," Macron said. "Japanese justice is independent." "We will be vigilant, just like with all our citizens across the world who have to answer to the law, through consular activity, so that the defendant's rights and presumption of innocence are respected in that case."

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