Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko has come out in support of under-fire Nissan CEO and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance kingpin Carlos Ghosn, telling local reporters the three-way alliance may be harder to manage without the unifying force of the long standing chairman.
The automotive world was shocked earlier this week by news of the arrest of Ghosn in Japan on suspicion of financial irregularities, reportedly following a tip-off from a whistleblower.
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Masuko was quoted in Japanese media as saying: “I don’t think there is anyone else on earth like Ghosn who could run Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.”
Ghosn was the leading force behind the Renault takeover of Nissan Motor back in 1999, which saved the Japanese automaker from bankruptcy, and the subsequent entry of Mitsubishi Motors into the alliance in 2016 [following its own brush with regulators over falsified minicar fuel economy data – ed].
Earlier this year, Ghosn had pledged to push for a full merger between Renault and Nissan to help bring more synergies between the two brands.
Renault has appointed the firm’s number two executive, Thierry Bollore, as interim CEO until the situation with Ghosn is resolved, while lead independent director Philippe Lagayette has become interim chairman.
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