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Nissan names Makoto Uchida as next CEO

TOKYO — Nissan named Makoto Uchida, the head of its Chinese business, as its next CEO, picking an executive known for close ties to top shareholder Renault and for a frank, straight-talking manner that has marked him as an outsider. By selecting Senior Vice President Uchida, Nissan's board has gone with someone slightly at odds with its traditional corporate culture. He joined the carmaker mid-career in 2003, a rarity in a country where top executives usually spend their entire working lives at the same company. Known for his unflagging work ethic and relentless focus on cost control, Uchida was described by one long-time associate who spoke on condition of anonymity as a "foreigner with a Japanese face" — direct and to the point in conversations. He will be joined by newly appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ashwani Gupta, currently COO of junior partner Mitsubishi Motors, in trying to find new ways to revive a business that has been struggling for months with plunging profits, management scandal and tensions with Renault. Japan's second-largest automaker has been shaken in particular by the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn last year on allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies, and the more recent departure of CEO Hiroto Saikawa after he admitted to being improperly overpaid. Whether the 58-year-old former theology student can deliver a miracle turnaround — particularly at Nissan's business in the United States — and repair ties with Renault will now be a focus for investors. "The biggest business challenge for Nissan is speeding up," the head of Nissan's nominations committee, Masakazu Toyoda, told a news conference. "Speedy decision making is a challenge that Uchida raised, and to this end he said that he wants to empower people as much as possible, so we decided to ask Uchida to take on the CEO role." One source close to Renault described the selection as "a victory for the alliance", saying that both Uchida and Gupta knew the business and were ready to help Nissan recover. 'ISN'T REALLY JAPANESE' Before his ouster, Ghosn had been working on a plan for a full merger of Renault and Nissan, but had met resistance in Japan, which is concerned about French influence in the alliance. The French government is a major Renault shareholder. Relations were further strained this year when Renault held abortive merger talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Even Ferrari swept up in latest Takata recall expansion

The scope of Takata's deadly airbag problems continues to widen. Eight manufacturers announced recalls Friday that affect more than 12 million vehicles, according to documents filed with federal regulators. The automakers include Honda, which is recalling 4.5 million units, Fiat Chrysler with 4.3 million, Toyota with 1.65 million, and Subaru, which is recalling almost 400,000. Some of these cars include the Saab 9-2x and Pontiac Vibe that Toyota and Subaru made for General Motors. Mazda will recall 730,000 vehicles and Nissan has 400,000 affected units. The smallest numbers were posted by Mitsubishi, with 38,000 Lancers manufactured from 2006 to 2007, and as a noteworthy high-end manufacturer, Ferrari is calling back 2,800 vehicles. These are all US-market cars. Beyond America, the Japanese Transport Ministry has announced seven million additional vehicles will be recalled, which means 19.6 million vehicles across the globe are affected by recalls announced. The defects have been traced to an insufficiently manufactured airbag inflator, which lacks a drying agent that would prevent the inflators from deteriorating over time. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags, which have become unstable and are prone to exploding and showering vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal shrapnel. A private equity firm, KKR & Co., has been named in a possible buyout of the struggling Takata. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Honda Mazda Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Subaru Toyota Saab Safety

Mitsubishi bringing Emirai 3 to Tokyo?

Inquiring minds really want to know if the W-shaped steering wheel will return on Mitsubishi's newest iteration of the Emirai electric concept vehicle. The Japanese automaker is slated to show off the third variant of this interesting concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of the month, according to Technologic Vehicles. Beyond the facts that the car is a two-seater and runs on electric power, we don't have many details to share just yet. One specific item we do know, though, is that concept will once again offer close monitoring of the driver's physical state. In this case, the car is said to use cloud-based data to gauge the driver's physical condition, so the concept goes well beyond the types of sensors we see in other vehicles that offer features like collision avoidance and lane maintenance. The car is also missing doors, which doesn't necessary help the driver's physical state but is still pretty cool-looking. The model could see the light of day – and limited production – by the end of the decade. Two years ago, Mitsubishi brought its Emirai 2 concept car to Tokyo. That super-futuristic vehicle included a biometrics feature that adjusted the driver's seat based on the user's facial temperature and heart rate. It also had a W-shaped steering wheel straight out of a Superfriends cartoon. Mitsubishi was an early entrant in the electric-vehicle sector with its i-MiEV, though that model has been selling in the single-digit figures in recent months. Now that we have a few year's worth of hindsight, the i's jellybean shape looks pretty pedestrian compared to the Emirai. News Source: Technologic Vehicles Green Tokyo Motor Show Mitsubishi Electric