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Nissan's Carlos Ghosn offers to wear electronic ankle tag if released

TOKYO — Ousted Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn has offered to wear an electronic ankle tag and hire guards to monitor him in an unusual bid to secure his release on bail after two months of harsh detention in Japan for alleged financial crimes. Ghosn is also willing to remain in Tokyo, where he has leased an apartment, and post stock he owns in Nissan as collateral, his spokeswoman said. A new bail hearing is set for Monday after an earlier request was denied due partly to concerns the French executive was a flight risk. His release would allow Ghosn to meet more frequently with his lawyers and defend himself before the board of Renault, where he remains chairman and CEO, amid calls for his removal and potential moves to restructure the Nissan tie-up. Ghosn denies any wrongdoing as he awaits trial on charges of financial misconduct. "I will attend my trial not only because I am legally obligated to do so, but because I am eager to finally have the opportunity to defend myself," Ghosn said in a statement on Sunday. "I am not guilty of the charges against me, and I look forward to defending my reputation in the courtroom." Meanwhile, Ghosn's wife, Carole Ghosn, has written to French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss her husband's situation, her public relations representative said. The representative, Devon Spurgeon, confirmed a report in French paper Journal du Dimanche that a letter had been sent to Macron this month, but declined to provide details. France wants a full merger As Ghosn's arrest on Nov. 19 continued to cloud the outlook for Nissan's three-way alliance with France's Renault and Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan said it was not the time to discuss revising the partners' capital ties. Ghosn, who spearheaded Nissan's turnaround two decades ago, had pushed for a deeper tie-up between Nissan and Renault, including possibly a full merger by 2020, despite strong reservations at the Japanese firm. "We are not at the stage for such discussions," Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa told reporters on Monday. Saikawa said he had not heard directly about a reported proposal by the French government to integrate the Japanese carmaker's management with Renault. The Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday that a French government delegation had informed Tokyo that it would seek an integration of Renault and Nissan, most likely under the umbrella of a single holding company. "Since I have not heard this directly, I cannot comment," Saikawa told reporters.

Watch Mitsubishi Express van bend its way to 0-star crash test rating

Mitsubishi became a champion of economies of scale when it joined the Renault-Nissan alliance in 2016, but the merger triggered at least one undesirable side effect. The Express, a badge-engineered version of the Renault Trafic van, received a zero-star crash test rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). Released in Australia and in New Zealand in 2020, the Express was damned by the safety watchdog for lacking chest protection, a central airbag to prevent the occupants from hitting each other and an airbag for the passenger sitting in the middle of the three-person bench. ANCAP also noted the model is not available with electronic driving aids, like automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection and lane-keeping assist. Mitsubishi Express crash test View 8 Photos Consequently, the Express scored 55% for adult occupant protection, 40% for vulnerable road user protection, and 7% for safety assist. ANCAP argued the Express is a safety hazard even to motorists not traveling in it. "The front structure of the Express presented a high risk to the occupants of an oncoming vehicle," it wrote, adding that this gave the van a penalty. It pointed out that more driving aids would have increased the rating, however. While vans often lag behind in the safety department, scoring zero stars is highly unusual, especially in 2021; the last-generation Express managed to score a one-star rating in 2011. The Toyota HiAce tested in 2019 received a five-star rating, while the made-in-China LDV G10 managed to score three stars in a 2015 crash test. In Europe, the Trafic that the Express is based on earned a three-star rating in 2015, though tests have gotten stricter since. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maine is actively deregistering imported Mitsubishi Delicas — but why?

Some weird things are going on in Maine. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) is actively deregistering Mitsubishi Delicas that were imported to the United States and previously registered in Maine under the well-known 25-year federal import rule. The folks at Crankshaft Culture brought this news to our attention and published a fairly detailed report at the beginning of the month. Ever since seeing that, we’ve been trying to track down more answers from the Maine BMV and Maine Secretary of StateÂ’s office. HereÂ’s a summary of whatÂ’s transpired so far. Crankshaft Culture did the digging on the Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club Facebook page, and uncovered that Maine has been sending letters out to folks in the state who currently own Delicas. Those letters unequivocally state that “this vehicle is not eligible for motor vehicle registration in Maine and may not be operated on the public highway.” It then goes on to demand owners remove the plates from the Delicas and return them to the BMV. Furthermore, it states that “the registration may not be used as proof of ownership to sell this vehicle as an automobile.”  So no, Maine is not exactly mincing words. Of course, the question here is: Why? Why is Maine deregistering Mitsubishi Delicas? These vans were imported under the federal 25-year import law. We know this rule, but hereÂ’s a quick refresher from the Customs and Border ProtectionÂ’s website: “A motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old can be lawfully imported into the U.S. without regard to whether it complies with all applicable DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.” Theoretically, thatÂ’d make any Delicas over 25 years old legal to import here, along with pretty much any other contraption you want to bring that is old enough. Maine told us that itÂ’s only targeting pre-1995 Delicas, so thereÂ’s no time discrepancy. We went to the Maine Secretary of State to learn what is going on. The answers are slightly confusing, so bear with us. In short, Maine considers the Delica to be an "off-road vehicle." MaineÂ’s law — Title 29-A — is very clear with “off-road vehicles.” It reads: “Off-road vehicles may not be registered in accordance with this Title.” OK. Next question. What does Maine consider to be an “off-road vehicle?” And how does the Delica qualify? HereÂ’s where a brand-new modification (LD 1433 Sections 1-8) to Title 29-A comes into play.