Although Nissan-Renault had sought an alliance with Chrysler's rival General Motors, it is uninterested in seeking a similar arrangement with the U.S. unit of DaimlerChrysler. Perhaps in early negotiations DCX chairman Dieter Zetsche refused to address Carlos Ghosn as his majesty. The CEO of both Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA was recently knighted in recognition of his contribution to British-Japanese relations. The ceremony was held Monday night at the British embassy in Tokyo by British ambassador to Japan, Graham Fry, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. Nissan owns and operates a huge auto plant in Sunderland, England, which employs 5,600 people and produces 60% of Nissan's European sales. By the way, if Dr. Z refused to address Ghosn as Sir Ghosn, then he'd have been correct since non-subjects of the Queen can't use the title. —Matthew Wurtzel
See story about Knighting from the International Herald Tribune
See story about Chrysler auction from The Deal
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