Ghosn: Nissan, Renault going for 'mini alliance' with 'reduced scope'

TOKYO — Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo that the Japanese automaker and Renault are trying to go for less cooperation between them with a deal to overhaul their long-standing alliance.

“With the latest agreement, they’re trying to go for a mini alliance with a very reduced scope of cooperation,” Ghosn told reporters in Tokyo via video stream.

Nissan and Renault are holding discussions about a final agreement to overhaul their alliance, after announcing in January that the deal will see Renault bring down its stake in Nissan to 15% from about 43% to put them on an equal level.

Earlier this year, Ghosn filed a lawsuit against Nissan and a handful of individuals seeking $588 million in lost remuneration, and a further $500 million in moral damages. “Nissan will have to pay for what they did to me and my family,” Ghosn said. “Nissan created a lot of damage … damage that can not be repaired.”

“What I’m looking for is not revenge,” Ghosn added. “I just want to make sure that all the criminals and the plotters cannot sleep quietly in their beds after what they have committed.”

Material from Reuters was used in this report.