Nissan Motor Co employees and customers who have long owned its cars said Monday they were stunned and disappointed to hear the news that the company’s charismatic chairman, Carlos Ghosn, has been arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct. At the company headquarters in Yokohama, many employees were seen heading
Nissan Motor Co employees and customers who have long owned its cars said Monday they were stunned and disappointed to hear the news that the company’s charismatic chairman, Carlos Ghosn, has been arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct.
At the company headquarters in Yokohama, many employees were seen heading home quickly in the evening without responding to questions from reporters who had flocked there.
One female employee said following media reports that Ghosn’s arrest was imminent, “It was business as usual inside the company and I didn’t notice anything different. (But) I’m worried how the company will be affected.”
A man working at a Nissan assembly plant in Tochigi Prefecture north of Tokyo said, “To be honest, I’m disgusted with a series of misconduct scandals” involving Nissan, apparently referring to recent scandals over quality checks. “I want the company to be responsible.”
The 64-year-old Ghosn, who holds French citizenship, is credited with leading the Japanese carmaker’s sharp turnaround after becoming the chief operating officer in 1999.
