Ghosn

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that he welcomes Apple entering the EV market during his Mobile World Congress keynote because more acceptance of the models helps every automaker in the segment. He also updated suggested a slightly longer timeline to get autonomous vehicles on the road.

Renault believes there's enough Alpine love to restart that brand with its own model almost immediately. The launch of the Initiale Paris luxury brand it's been mulling, on the other hand, will be more restrained: a report in Autocar says that instead of launching with a first model based on the Mercedes E-Class architecture, Renault is going to introduce an Initiale Paris trim line on the new Clio and Espace. More accurately, that should be 're-introduce and aggressively market,' since Renault

In a message that can't be lost in translation, Japanese Nissan Leaf owners want a longer single-charge range from their electric vehicles.

Nissan has been clear that the Nissan Leaf will keep on improving. Exactly how much cheaper the next-gen battery in future versions of the Leaf will be is still carefully protected information, but Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn is making sure that everyone knows a lower-cost Leaf will be here, and soon. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Ghosn said, "There is a second generation of battery coming (online) now...which is less costly than the previous one. We are in a race in which you re

The Renault Initiale Paris concept car from 1995 (pictured) became the company's Vel Satis flagship model that sold from 2002 to 2009 – although the Vel Satis did without the concept's detuned Formula One engine, a 392-horsepower, 3.5-liter Renault Sport RS6 V10, which might be why it never sold as well as desired. Renault has held on to the Initiale Paris name, though, using to denote the top trim on cars like the Laguna, Espace, Clio and even the dinky Modus supermini.

With just a day until Bryce Hoffman's American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company is released, more revelations from the book are hitting the headlines. Among the juiciest: Nissan-Renault chief Carlos Ghosn was offered the top job at Ford prior to Alan Mulally, but turned it down because he didn't want to work for then-CEO Bill Ford.

The way Carlos Ghosn repeatedly touts the benefits of electric vehicles, you'd think he knows something the rest of the industry doesn't. For now, it appears he's right, since sales of the Nissan Leaf continue to be constrained by supply and not demand. What makes the Renault-Nissan CEO endlessly interesting is that he doesn't back off of his stance no matter what's happening in the world. The best response to the earthquake in Japan? EVs. A competitive automotive industry? EVs. Giving the custo

When Japanese automakers crank out a supercar, it is, first of all, a rare occasion. And it usually wears the badge of its respective luxury division. Toyota's is the Lexus LFA. Honda's was the Acura NSX (at least here in the States). But not Nissan. That company's supercar – the GT-R – is a Nissan through and through. But that hasn't always been taken for granted.

Carlos Ghosn has the honor of being the highest-paid foreign executive of any Japanese company. The Nissan CEO brought home a staggering $12 million for his efforts at the automaker last year alone, which marks a 10-percent increase over his take-home pay last year. For the sake of comparison, The Economic Times reports that Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Company, drew just $1.6 million in compensation and stock options last year.

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has received the coveted 2011 FISITA medal for his achievements in "building a cross-cultural partnership and for his work in favor of sustainable mobility for all through a complete range of 100-percent electric vehicles." In a statement, Ghosn said:

Come early July, General Motors might just have to bury its Chevrolet Volt sales totals once again. That's because Nissan's head honcho (chief executive officer) Carlos Ghosn says that U.S. sales of the Leaf will hit a record-shattering 1,500 units in June. More precisely, Ghosn, speaking of the Leaf, told Automotive News (sub. req.) that:

Fully Charged takes Carlos Ghosn on a trip in the Nissan Leaf – Click above to watch video after the jump

Nissan, Japan's second-largest automaker, apparently believes it has a more talented executive staff than Toyota or Honda. According to company CEO Carlos Ghosn, Nissan delivers its shareholders "the best performance possible with the best talent."

On March 10th, we reported that the industrial espionage case – or was it fraud or a scandalous hoax – involving three top Renault execs and the automaker's electric vehicle secrets was swirling out of control. The chaos had gotten so out of hand that a source told Reuters that:

The industrial espionage case – or was it fraud or a scandalous hoax – involving three top Renault execs and the automaker's electric vehicle secrets is swirling out of control. So much so that Renault-Nissan chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn may need assistance from Patrick Pelata, the automaker's chief operating officer, to protect the CEO from losing his job, according to Automotive News (sub. req.).

Nissan Leaf EV – Click above for high-res image gallery

Steven Rattner, former automotive adviser to President Barack Obama, has just written a juicy account of last year's automotive bailout, complete with insights on the coming and goings of CEOs, courting foreign saviors and the General Motors plan to abandon its Renaissance Center headquarters. In his book, "Overhaul: An Insider's Account of the Obama Administration's Emergency Rescue of the Auto Industry," Rattner says that GM wanted to walk away from its expensive towers in downtown Detroit and