Jan. 8, 2019
Carlos Ghosn Speaks: ‘I Have Been Wrongly Accused and Unfairly Detained’
Carlos Ghosn called the allegations against him “meritless and unsubstantiated,” delivering a broadside against Japanese prosecutors in his first public statement since his arrest more than a month ago. The Wall Street Journal reports that the 64-year-old former Nissan Motor Co. chairman, one of the auto world’s most prominent executives, entered a Tokyo courtroom in handcuffs looking thinner and grayer, and proceeded to deliver a point-by-point rebuttal of the accusations that have upended his career. He said he properly reported his compensation—rejecting charges that he hid tens of millions of dollars in deferred pay—and said he had Nissan pay money to a friend for business services, not because the friend guided him through a personal financial problem. “I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated allegations,” Mr. Ghosn said. In a statement, Nissan said that separate from the prosecutors’ probe, its internal investigation uncovered “substantial and convincing evidence of misconduct” by Mr. Ghosn, and its unanimous board decision to dismiss him as chairman and representative director was final. For more on Mr. Ghosn’s day in court, click here.
The Least Reliable Cars in America
Considering how big an investment it is to actually go out and buy a brand-new car, most buyers probably assume they are going to have a relatively trouble-free few years, at the very least, of ownership. Sadly, that's not always the case. According to Consumer Reports, not all cars are as reliable as they should be. The magazine's Auto Reliability Survey compiled responses from the owners of hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Click here for more information from Consumer Reports, but first, scroll through the slideshow to see the vehicles that were singled out as being unreliable, in descending order. AutoBlog reports that the Ram 3500 HD is ranked dead last on Consumer Reports' list of the most unreliable vehicles in America for 2018. Owners say they've had issues with the truck's steering and suspension. The Tesla Model X appeared on this same list a year ago, and it's the only vehicle to be ranked on the most unreliable vehicles list two years in a row. The crossover's rear doors, which open upward unlike any other vehicle on the road, are often cited as problematic. For the full list of unreliable vehicles, click here.
Malmström Visits Washington as Potential Tariffs on Cars Overshadow Trade Talks
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström heads to Washington today for a new round of trade talks with US officials, as potential tariffs on cars loom large over the heads of European industry. Euractiv reports that Malmström will meet US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer within the framework of the executive working group both parties established after presidents Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Trump met in July. The meeting is timely as the US Department for Trade is expected to publish next month its report on whether car imports are to be considered a threat to national security, as Trump suggested, which might trigger restrictive measures targeting the European car industry. Trade tensions erupted between the EU and the US when the Trump administration imposed extra tariffs on steel and aluminium based on a similar report. For more on the meeting, click here.
Toyota Dominates the List of Cars Americans Keep for 15 Years or More
Classified site iSeeCars.com has published its popular “list of cars people are likely to keep for 15 years” in America for the year 2019, and as expected, the list is dominated by none other the Japanese brands, especially Toyota. According to Carlist, iSeeCars did some analysis on over 750,000 cars from the 1981-2003 model years sold in 2018 in the US to determine which cars are most likely to be kept for at least 15 years, and the results show the Toyota Highlander taking the top spot. Out of the top 15 cars in the list, 10 are Toyotas, followed by four Hondas, and one Subaru, namely the Forester. Click here for the full list. iSeeCars also examined which brands folks tend to keep the longest, and while Toyota, Honda, and Subaru get the top three spots, buyers are also holding onto Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen models for many years. Click here for the full story.
Feds Won't Investigate Vehicle Defects During Government Shutdown
Federal workers must go without pay, national parks are a mess, and now vehicle safety investigations are on hold. The agency responsible for investigating defects in the nation's cars, trucks, and SUVs does not plan to do so during the government shutdown. The Detroit Free Press reports it's the latest in a growing list of impacts caused by a political test of wills between President Donald Trump and Congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall. On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed that its investigators will be not be performing some key tasks, including defect investigations. "During a government shutdown, some key agency functions will be discontinued until funding is restored. Functions funded by the Highway Trust Fund will continue, while those funded by annual appropriations will be suspended, including safety defect investigations, field crash investigations, review of consumer complaints, and notification of new vehicle and equipment recalls," according to a statement from the agency. Click here for what the impact could be on consumers.
Around the Web
The Coolest 25-Year-Old Cars You Can Import to the United States in 2019 [AutoWeek]
Audi Will Push Electric Vehicles in Super Bowl Ad [Ad Age]
Bugatti Reveals $6 Million Supercar That's Slower, But More Exciting [CNN]
Hyundai Gave Its Concept Car a Bunch of Features You Can't Buy Yet [Jalopnik]
