No Mutiny Here, Says Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman
Rumors that the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance could be in danger of breaking up are unfounded, said alliance chairman Jean-Dominique Senard on Thursday.
The chairman was responding to reports of a contingency plan in the works at Nissan, one aimed at guiding the Japanese automaker away from its French partner in a stable fashion in the event of a split.
As reported by Reuters, Senard said a “real desire” to succeed exists at the top of each company. He called the contingency plan reports “fake news.”
“We have a board overseeing the alliance which is made up of people who are all extremely in favor of the alliance,” Senard told reporters in Paris.
Competing desires have strained the relationship since the ouster of former chairman Carlos Ghosn following his arrest by Japanese authorities. Ghosn’s escape — and subsequent barrage of accusations — has placed Renault and Nissan in an awkward position. The former chairman claims a corporate coup orchestrated by Nissan executives and Japanese officials put him behind bars, with the spark being his wish to further integrate the two automakers. Nissan brass allegedly resisted the idea of losing more autonomy.
Senard wasn’t in the mood to discuss the Ghosn issue on Thursday.
“I only think about the future,” he remarked when asked about the outspoken fugitive.
While Ghosn now wishes he’d headed up different companies, claiming the alliance is a mess without him at the helm, Senard said the alliance’s operating board will meet before the end of the month to plot a course forward.
[Image: Renault]
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Of course he'd say that in public. In private, it may be a different story. Or not. No hews here.