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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."

Nissan recalls 76k Rogues for faulty fuel pumps

Nissan is recalling 76,242 units of the 2014 Rogue with production dates between June 11, 2013 and June 7, 2014, because of faulty fuel pumps. According to the advisory from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the nickel plating in the part can come loose and bind up the impeller. With the pump no longer working, the vehicle might not start or there could be a stall when driving. According to the documents submitted to NHTSA (available here in PDF format), Nissan received the first report a Rogue not starting in March 2014. The automaker and fuel pump supplier Bosch monitored the situation. As more incidents occurred, they instituted this recall. Nissan is clear in saying that even if a stall occurs, electrical power remains to leave the air bags functional. To fix the problem the automaker is replacing the fuel pump on the affected Rogues with a new one at no charge to owners, and the company expects this process to begin in April. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Improper Plating on Fuel Pump may Result in Stall Report Receipt Date: APR 03, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V197000 Component(s): FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Potential Number of Units Affected: 76,242 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) NISSAN ROGUE 2014 Details Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Nissan Rogue vehicles manufactured June 11, 2013, to June 7, 2014. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing. CONSEQUENCE: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in April 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Featured Gallery 2014 Nissan Rogue View 60 Photos News Source: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, [2]Image Credit: Nissan Recalls Nissan Safety nissan rogue

Nissan, Kia spending big to promote EVs, Chevy stays conservative on Volt

With 22 months of record Leaf sales under its zero-emission belt, Nissan has started two big ad campaigns for the battery-powered Leaf. On TV, there's the Kick Gas campaign (it's a popular name) and on social media, Nissan is promoting the EV as the "world's cleanest car" (it's a paint thing). We don't know how much the paint prank is costing, but we do have some estimated numbers for the TV ads. Nissan has spent over $30 million on TV advertising for the Leaf in 2014. According to iSpot, which tracks these sorts of things, Nissan spent over $30 million promoting the Leaf on TV in 2014. "Through November of this year," iSpot CEO Sean Muller wrote to AutoblogGreen, "Nissan spent more then $400 million in TV advertising for its traditional fuel fleet, and $22 million for the rechargeable Leaf. It has since dedicated an additional $9 million on it its new Kick Gas campaign, which started airing November 3, shortly after news of the electronic sales slump broke." iSpot says that Kick Gas aired predominately on NBC, CBS and Fox. The result of those airings can be seen in the charts below, but the takeaway point is that viewers of college football, Gladiator and The Rachel Maddow Show were the most engaged by the ad. Nissan has said the ad is working and that it helped increase Leaf sales in November. How is Chevrolet promoting the Volt? Not nearly as aggressively as Nissan is with the Leaf. Muller said iSpot estimates that GM spent just $2 million over the past couple of years to sell the plug-in hybrid on TV, despite offering 62 different Volt ads online. Then there's new entry into the mix, the Kia Soul EV. iSpot figures Kia has spent about $15 million on TV airings of that odd sexified hamster spot. That's a lot of money for a car that just went on sale here in October, let alone one that isn't available in most states. We've asked Chevy, Kia and Nissan for comment on the iSpot numbers but have not yet heard back. You can watch ads for all three vehicles below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Details on Nissan's Kick Gas: