2007 Nissan Xterra on 2040-cars

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Renault chairman dismisses reports Nissan wants to split from alliance

PARIS — Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said on Thursday there was a "real desire" within the top ranks of both companies for its alliance with Nissan to succeed, dismissing suggestions the partnership was on the rocks. Turmoil within the Franco-Japanese alliance, long dogged by internal rivalries, deepened following the November 2018 arrest in Tokyo of its architect and long-time boss Carlos Ghosn on charges of financial crimes, which he denies. Attempts to restore calm were dealt a fresh blow by Ghosn's dramatic flight from Japanese justice and a series of no-holds-barred allegations he has made from his refuge in Lebanon, including that he was the victim of a plot to oust him and that the alliance is now a "masquerade". Nissan has vigorously rejected Ghosn's stance, while both the Japanese firm and Renault have tried to rubbish suggestions their two decades old partnership is falling apart. "We have a board overseeing the alliance which is made up of people who are all extremely in favor of the alliance," Renault Chairman Senard told a briefing with reporters. "There is a common desire to associate our strategic plans and a real desire to make this alliance a success," he added, dismissing a report that Nissan was examining scenarios for a possible future outside of the alliance as "fake news." The 66-year-old declined to comment on anything related to Ghosn, adding: "I only think about the future." Renault shares were down 2% by 1123 GMT, underperfoming the broader auto sector which was down on news that Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on European car imports due to Europe's stance on Iran. Renault's French rival and Peugeot maker PSA Group also gave a flavor of some industry headwinds, reporting a 10% fall in its global sales last year as Chinese demand tanked. Renault is due to publish its 2019 global sales on Friday. JOINT PROJECTS Analysts see Renault-Nissan's cost-saving alliance as vital to both companies as the car industry battles a slowdown and huge investments in cleaner vehicles and automated driving, particularly as rivals PSA and Fiat Chrysler are merging to help meet these challenges. Renault held ultimately unsuccessful talks to combine with Fiat Chrysler last year, which Ghosn described at a Beirut news conference as a huge missed opportunity. Senard, who chairs the alliance's operating board, said on Thursday that once the partnership has been rebooted, other firms might potentially want to join.

Nissan, Infiniti issue recall for replacement Takata air bags in older models

Nissan and Infiniti are recalling older vehicles that were repaired after collision damage to address problems with Takata replacement air bag inflators that were potentially installed. The overall campaign population is difficult for Nissan to pin down because the only vehicles impacted would be those that Nissan and Infiniti know to have been serviced with the replacement units in question. Officially, the recalled population numbers just 375, but Nissan says more than 18,000 cars could have the defective parts installed.  Drivers of 2001-2003 Nissan Maximas, 2002-2006 Nissan Sentras, 2007-2012 Nissan Versa Sedans/Hatchbacks, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4s and 2006-2010 Infiniti M35s/M45s that had their vehicles repaired after a collision or theft should be aware that these deadly replacement parts may have been used.  "The potentially affected inflators may have been installed on vehicles after final remedy repair completion under the vehicle recalls as part of a subsequent theft or collision repair," Nissan's notice said. "Vehicles that received the subject parts prior to December 9, 2016, are not affected as they would have been subsequently included in the final remedy recalls and replaced with a final remedy driver and/or passenger air bag inflator. Nissan has identified 18,422 vehicles that may have had these parts installed during service." The air bag inflators in question were inadvertently shipped to service inventory between December 9, 2016 and November 12, 2021 — after the dangers of Takata's inflator design were known to the industry. Notices are already being mailed; owners will be asked to bring their cars in for inspection, and if defective parts are found, they will be replaced.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Daimler consulting with Ford about 3-cylinder engines

Soon enough, Ford will offer its 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine under the hood of the Fiesta here in the United States, building on the success of the small powerplant overseas. In fact, this success has caused other automakers to take notice, and according to Automotive News Europe, Daimler is now talking to Ford about this engine for use in its own products.
In other markets, Ford offers the 1.0-liter mill under the hood of the Focus (we had the chance to sample this package on our home turf), as well as the B-Max MPV. For this new collaboration, Daimler would use the turbo-three in the next-generation Smart ForTwo, as well as the Renault Twingo, which the German automaker will be collaborating on as part of its alliance with Renault-Nissan. Speaking to AN, a Mercedes-Benz engineer called the 1.0-liter mill an "interesting and impressive engine."
In exchange for details about the EcoBoost inline-three, Daimler will supply Ford with information regarding its Euro6 stratified lean-burn gasoline engine, which is found in the new E-Class sedan.