Renault espionage case goes to court

• Source: Global Times
• [08:49 January 11 2011]
• Comments

Two security guards are seen near a billboard showing the logo of French car maker Renault at a dealership in Beijing Monday. Photo: AFP

Three of Renault's managers, suspected of having breached confidentiality agreements regarding the company's electrical cars, are likely to face criminal charges today, a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said Monday.

Renault SA on Wednesday suspended the three managers, citing a divulging of secrets about the automaker's electric-car program. At least one of them is expected to be dismissed this week, the WSJ said.

Renault's Japanese partner, Nissan, told AFP Monday that it was confident in how Renault was handling the espionage crisis.

"Our partner is very focused on making sure they understand what went wrong, and we, Nissan, trust that our partner, Renault, will do the right thing to fix it," said Carlos Tavares, chairman of Nissan's Americas division.

According to the WSJ, Renault and Nissan, which share the same CEO, Carlos Ghosn, have invested a combined 4 billion euros ($5.19 billion) in electric vehicles. Ghosn has forecast that electric vehicles will represent 10 percent of global auto sales in the next decade.

The Renault group Monday announced a new sales record of 2.6 million vehicles, with a 14 percent rise compared with 2009.

Renault Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata told the French newspaper Le Monde Monday that the information allegedly disclosed concerned "vehicle architecture, and … the costs and economic model of our vehicle program," according to the Financial Times. But no critical information on its program had been leaked.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday ordered his country's intelligence service to probe whether China was behind the suspected industrial espionage at Renault.

On the same day, Bernard Carayon, a lawmaker, told Reuters that France needed tougher laws to defend itself in a "war" against fast-growing emerging economies hungry for new technology.

"There (are) several sources, who are typically thought to be serious, who consider that a Chinese buyer is, in fact, behind this operation," said Carayon, a member of Sarkozy's conservative party, on France-Info radio Friday.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Commerce couldn't be reached for immediate comment Monday.

Agencies