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Mitsubishi and Renault-Nissan expand partnership, US will get new sedan

Mitsubishi and Renault-Nissan have just inked an alliance that might, hopefully, reverse the ailing fortunes of the Mitsubishi brand in the US market. The big chunk of news is that Mitsubishi will produce two Renualt-based models for sale in the US market, and that they'll be built at the Renault-Samsung factory in Busan, South Korea.
The plans call for a D-segment sedan to be followed by a C-segment offering. Based on the cars built at the Busan factory, that means Mitsubishi will be getting the SM5 and the SM3, a pair of handsome sedans that are based on Renault-Nissan's D and C platforms, respectively. These same platforms underpin a number of US market Nissans (not to mention a number of cars from Renault), namely the Pathfinder, Maxima, Quest and Murano for the D platform and the last-generation Rogue and Sentra for the C platform.
Besides the sedan production, Nissan and Mitsubishi will be expanding their joint-venture company, NMKV, which produces Kei cars for the Japanese market. A new, all-electric offering will be born from the partnership, likely based on a Kei car platform. The partnership between the three brands will also lead to increased sharing of technology, particularly relating to electric cars.

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.

Police search Renault headquarters as part of Ghosn probe

PARIS — Police are searching Renault's corporate headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt, which a judicial source said was related to an ongoing investigation into ex-Renault boss Carlos Ghosn and his use of Versailles for his 2016 wedding party. L'Express magazine reported earlier on Wednesday that the search was being carried out in relation to Ghosn, who faces charges of misconduct. Ghosn has denied any wrongdoing and has been released on bail. L'Express added that French authorities were probing a wedding reception party held at the Chateau de Versailles in 2016 to mark the wedding of Ghosn to his second wife Carole, and a judicial source confirmed those elements to Reuters. Renault itself confirmed that police were searching its premises, but declined to comment on the subject of the search. "Renault confirms that a search by police is currently underway at its headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt and Renault is co-operating fully with authorities," said the company, adding that it would not make any further comment on the matter. Earlier this year, Renault said it had found evidence that it had paid part of Ghosn's wedding costs and added it would turn the investigation over to prosecutors. Ghosn's Versailles wedding party in October 2016 had already drawn public scrutiny for its opulence and Marie Antoinette-themed costumes. Government/Legal Mitsubishi Nissan Renault Carlos Ghosn