2012 Nissan Base on 2040-cars

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Carlos Ghosn: What misconduct is he accused of?

TOKYO — Japan was shocked by news that Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was widely respected for rescuing the carmaker from near bankruptcy, was arrested on Monday for alleged financial misconduct. Nissan said that Ghosn, who is also chairman and CEO of Renault and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors, would be fired from his post as Nissan chairman on Thursday. What is Carlos Ghosn accused of? Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa told a packed press conference on Monday night that the company had found that Ghosn had been using corporate money for personal purposes and under-reporting his income for years in official company filings to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Another board member, Greg Kelly, was also deeply involved in the misconduct, Nissan said. Saikawa said he couldn't elaborate as the cases are being investigated by prosecutors, who have declined to comment. Prosecutors said that Ghosn and Kelly conspired to understate Ghosn's compensation over five years starting in fiscal 2010 as being about half of the actual 9.998 billion yen ($88.9 million). Public broadcaster NHK said Nissan paid billions of yen to buy and renovate homes for Ghosn in Rio, Beirut, Paris and Amsterdam, citing unnamed sources. The properties had no business purpose and were not listed as benefits in TSE filings, NHK said. Ghosn, 64, has not been formally charged. The Asahi newspaper reported that he and Kelly had submitted to prosecutors' questions after getting off a plane on Monday afternoon at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Saikawa confirmed they had been arrested. Ghosn and Kelly have not been seen since, and their exact whereabouts are not known. Suspects are typically taken to the Tokyo Detention Center, which is linked to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. How did this come to light? Nissan's Saikawa said Ghosn's alleged improprieties came to light through a whistleblower, after which the company began an internal investigation and informed prosecutors. Japanese media reports say the informant is a member of Nissan's legal department. The Asahi reported, without citing sources, that the informant gave the prosecutors information in a plea bargain, implying the person may have provided evidence in exchange for a lighter sentence. How much control did Carlos Ghosn have? After becoming CEO of struggling Nissan in 2001, Ghosn was hailed as the automaker's savior by implementing an aggressive cost-cutting plan.

Nissan recalling 104k Juke models over faulty timing chain [UPDATE]

General Motors isn't the only manufacturer that gets to issue a recall today, as Nissan is set to announce a voluntary recall of the 2011 to 2013 Juke due to a fault with the timing chain. 104,439 units are affected by this recall. The timing chain in some Jukes could deteriorate over time, leading to a warning light in the instrument cluster. In extreme cases, the chain could snap.
Owners of affected vehicles are being notified, and will need to report to their local dealership. The free repairs will replace the timing chain, chain guides and crank sprocket.
Take a look below for a short statement to Autoblog from Nissan.

Nissan adds 2013 Titan to gearshift recall

Nissan has added the 2013 Titan to the list of vehicles recalled over potential gearshift issues. Just a few days ago, the automaker recalled nearly 20,000 NV Vans for a problem with the shift lever assembly that could cause the gear selector to read inaccurately. Now Nissan is recalling certain 2013 Titan pickup trucks manufactured between December 17, 2012 and February 20, 2013 and equipped with column-mounted shift levers, though for a different fault. The pickups were built using certain chemicals that could cause the brake-shift interlock mechanism to fail over time. If that happens, the truck could be shifted out of Park without the driver's foot on the brake.
As a result, the truck could roll away and cause an accident or injury. Nissan says it will remedy the fault free of charge. Owners can expect to be notified once the campaign begins on or around April 8. You can read the full National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notice below for more information.