Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi meet to discuss future of alliance amid Ghosn scandal
Car manufacturers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi have restated their commitment to each other following the arrest of chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Executives from the three companies, which operate as an alliance, were seen arriving for a meeting in Amsterdam early this morning, according to Reuters.
It is the first time representatives for the alliance have met since Ghosn was arrested last week for alleged financial misconduct.
Managers from the three firms were seen entering alliance offices via an underground car park.
The companies issued a joint statement ahead of the meeting saying the board of directors “emphatically reiterated” their commitment to the alliance.
“The alliance has achieved unparalleled success in the past two decades,” the companies said.
But Carlos Ghosn’s arrest and subsequent dismissal has ruffled feathers among the alliance’s leadership.
Nissan chief executive Hiroto Saikawa said last week that Ghosn had been granted too much power within the alliance.
On Monday Saikawa told employees that the relationship between Nissan and Renault is “not equal” and needs to be reviewed, according to local media reports.
Ghosn has been in detention in Japan since his arrest on 19 November. But Japanese prosecutors are seeking court approval to hold the former chairman for a further 10 days before deciding whether to charge him, according to reports in Japan’s Kyodo news agency.
Former Nissan representative director Greg Kelly, who was dismissed alongside Ghosn, today denied the allegations of financial misconduct.
“All Ghosn received in compensation was included in Nissan’s annual financial statements,” Kelly's lawyer, Yoichi Kitamura, told Reuters.
Nissan and Mitsubishi have both ousted Ghosn from his role as chairman. However, he remains chairman and chief executive of Renault and head of the alliance.