Nissan’s Ghosn: Nissan Diesel not for
sale
By Neil Versel
Carlos Ghosn, chief operating
officer of Nissan Motor, disclosed at the North American International Auto
Show here, “We are now working to establish a framework for Nissan Diesel. We
are not talking about selling it for the moment.
“We still have some homework to do
with our partners of Renault and with the banks to try to give the company the
possibility of continuing to do business,” he added. “Everything is possible
after that.”
Mr. Ghosn indicated that Nissan
hopes to outline a restructuring plan for the debt-riddled Nissan Diesel unit
by the end of January.
Mr. Ghosn, however, disclosed to SNS
Interactive that he would not turn away offers for Nissan Diesel. ‘If
somebody considers that [Nissan Diesel] has more strategic value than it has
for Nissan or for Renault then we will consider it,” the executive said.
The Nissan boss did not indicate
whether any such offers existed, nor would he comment on Japanese media reports
that Nissan Diesel was considering a bus-making venture with Japanese truck
producers Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Hino Motors Ltd.
As reported, French truck maker
Renault
Nissan has spurned a number of
companies interested in the Nissan Diesel subsidiary in the past two years, including
DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX), a major maker and seller of cars and trucks in
NV