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Federal prosecutor fights bail for men accused of helping Carlos Ghosn escape

BOSTON — A U.S. prosecutor on Monday urged a judge to keep a former Green Beret and his son locked up as Japan prepares to formally seek their extradition on charges that they helped former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flee the East Asian country. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hassink argued during a virtual hearing that Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, have a "clear and present reason to flee" after being accused of helping Ghosn, who faces financial misconduct charges in Japan. "They're actually some of the best defendants that IÂ’m sure this court has seen positioned to actually succeed in that flight," Hassink said. He argued the men, who have been held without bail since being arrested in Massachusetts last month, helped smuggle Ghosn out of Japan in a box on Dec. 29, 2019. Ghosn then allegedly fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn, Nissan's former chief executive, was charged with engaging in financial wrongdoing by understating his compensation in Nissan's financial statements. He denies wrongdoing. The Taylors' lawyers countered that had they wished to avoid prosecution they could have remained in Lebanon, where they were in January when Japan said it would seek their arrest, rather than return to Massachusetts. "If he's an expert of escape, he would not have returned to the United States," Robert Sheketoff, a lawyer for Michael Taylor, argued. He and other defense lawyers argued the case against their clients was flawed and that Michael Taylor, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and private security specialist, is at heightened risk of complications from COVID-19, which could spread in the jail. The hearing itself was held through a Zoom videoconference because of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell said he hoped to rule "as quickly as I can." Related Video:

Nissan battery breakthrough to double Leaf EV range within a few years

The Tesla Model S might be the headline-grabber of the electric vehicle world, but the Nissan Leaf is the segment's secret star. With over 130,000 sold worldwide since its introduction and record US sales in 2014, the little hatchback has helped its parents at the Renault-Nissan Alliance to sell over 200,000 EVs since 2010. With that much success in the EV business, there's no reason for the automaker to stop now, and according to CEO Carlos Ghosn a huge technological breakthrough is on the way to make plug-ins an attractive choice for more drivers than ever before. In an interview on Japanese TV, Ghosn confirmed that Nissan has a new battery that could allow for over 400 kilometers (249 miles) of range. New batteries could "very soon take the issue of range off of the table." – Jeff Kuhlman Ghosn was tight-lipped on the details of the tech, but Daily Kanban dug deeper. An unnamed Nissan engineer confirmed that the roughly 250-mile range would be for a Leaf-sized vehicle – a massive leap over the hatchback's current EPA-rated max of 84 miles or 124 miles in Europe. The battery reportedly offers twice the capacity, while bringing weight and costs down compared to the present version. "Commercial applications could be no more than one model cycle away," said the anonymous worker, making the innovation sound even more tantalizing. Lending even more credence to this major battery innovation, Nissan spokesperson Jeff Kuhlman told Daily Kanban: "We continue our R&D efforts because we believe that we can do more with battery electric, and very soon take the issue of range off of the table." Renault-Nissan is betting a huge portion of its chips on the future of battery electric vehicles. The company even tried stuffing a 48-kilowatt hour pack into a Leaf for an event in Spain last year. While not its primary focus, the automaker is hedging its bets slightly by working with Daimler and Ford on fuel cell innovations, as well.

2019 Tokyo Auto Salon features one of the coolest auctions we've seen

In just over a week, the Tokyo Auto Salon will host one of the coolest auctions we've seen in years. Jalopnik spotted BH Auction's listings, and it's a cornucopia of hot machinery you won't typically find at American auctions like Gooding & Company or Barrett Jackson. While Japanese cars make up most of the listings, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW and even Dodge all have at least one car going up for auction. We won't include everything here, but you can check out the full list on BH Auction's website. There are 50 lots at the auction, including nine Nissan Skylines, nine Ferraris and two Porsche Carrera GTs. Some of our other favorites include a Honda S800 coupe, a Toyota Miniace truck, a Mitsubishi Willys Jeep and a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing with the V8 from a W124 Mercedes-Benz E60 AMG that's estimated to sell for between $1.25 million and $1.5 million. Related Video: News Source: BH Auction via Jalopnik Audi Dodge Ferrari Honda Mitsubishi Nissan Porsche Toyota Auctions Autoblog Minute nissan skyline mercedes-benz 300 sl