Financial Times Reports Nissan Executives Push Forward Alliance Engineer's Secret Plan Split After Carlos Ghosn's Escape From Japanese Custody
Nissan is reportedly pushing through a secret plan to split itself with Alliance partner Renault as the fallout from Carlos Ghosn's fall continues.
В Financial Times The sources quoted said that the executives are developing an action plan in which they will agree on a complete separation between the two brands in the technical and production departments. Reportedly hastened since Ghosn fled allegations of financial misconduct in Japan late last year.
Changes to Nissan's line-up will also be monitored as a map to ensure a potential split is drawn out. Efforts have been made lately to improve relations on both sides, but the Financial Times reports a partnership that produces 10 million cars a year has gone sour. Many executives of the Japanese firm believe Renault is a drag on its success.
The split is likely the result of both creators forging partnerships in other countries in order to maintain competitiveness in the face of rising research and development costs and falling sales. It will come at the most inopportune moment as new alliances such as Fiat Chrysler (which Renault unsuccessfully tried to merge with last year) and PSA and Volkswagen and Ford form profitable relationships.
Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard is considered revealing several integrated projects in the coming weeks to show that the Alliance is still on good terms, but people at Nissan say his efforts to unify have misunderstood the general mood of the workers.
The split would mean the end of almost two decades of cooperation. At a press conference after he left Japan, Ghosn stated that Nissan management agreed with the Japanese government to arrange for his arrest because they were unhappy with Renault's greater decision-making power within the Alliance, which he led the creation of 1999.
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