Carmakers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors unveiled the creation of a joint board Tuesday, seeking a "new start" for their alliance after the arrest of former boss Carlos Ghosn. The new board structure will be headed by Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard and replaces two previous bodies based in the Netherlands - one joining Renault and Nissan, the other combining Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors.
"We have decided to join our forces again, to enhance the strength of our collaboration," Senard told reporters. This is a "new start" for the alliance, insisted the Frenchman. Senard also announced he would "not be seeking" to replace Ghosn as head of Nissan but would be a "clear candidate" to be vice-president of the Japanese auto giant.
For his part, current Nissan boss Hiroto Saikawa said the new board represented "a true partnership on equal footing". Both executives sidestepped questions about Ghosn, recently released on bail in Japan ahead of a trial over alleged financial misconduct. Asked about Ghosn, Senard said: "I have two or three major principles in my life. One of them is the respect of people. The second is respect of facts. And the third is to respect people and consider them innocent as long as it has not been proven differently."
Ghosn is widely credited with creating the three-way alliance, which now outsells all other rival groups. As boss of Renault, he took what many observers at the time thought was a gamble by saving Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy and tying it to the French firm. In a complicated management structure, Renault - itself 15-percent held by the French state - owns a 43-percent stake in Nissan.