Ghosn sees ‘synergies’

DETROIT — If General Motors, Nissan and Renault eventually join forces, the alliance could help stem the hemorrhage of jobs now under way at GM, according to Carlos Ghosn.

“If we agree on an alliance, well, you may stop some of the job losses and you may probably reduce some of the plant closings,” the chief executive of both Renault SA and Nissan Motor Corp. said Thursday during an interview on CNBC.

Nissan, he said, needs to expand manufacturing in North America. Without an alliance, the company will build a new plant, but with an alliance, it would consider an existing plant.

“One party does not have to make such a huge investment to build a new plant, and the other party does not have to spend so much money, close a plant and reduce the work force. These are the kind of synergies we’re going to have to take a closer look at,” Ghosn said.

The comments came on the eve of a historic meeting between Ghosn and General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, one that could begin a huge change in the global auto industry and lead to a large foreign stake in GM. The meeting will take place in private at an undisclosed location.

In separate interviews Thursday, Wagoner and Ghosn both said they’ll look at synergies from linking the three companies that could save money and help them compete in a global auto market that grows tougher every day.

While Ghosn and Wagoner will discuss the bigger picture, it will likely take until the end of the year to crunch numbers and determine savings in sharing platforms, powertrains, purchasing and research, Ghosn said in the interview on CNBC’s show “Closing Bell.”

“How can we quantify what’s at stake? What’s the prize?” Ghosn asked.

Ghosn said the companies would remain separate. But the alliance still could lead to a struggle for the top job at GM. Ghosn said he cannot run another company and keep his present posts.

Ghosn sidestepped a question about whether he wanted to run GM.

“I’m saying categorically it’s out of question that I’ll add on top of my two present responsibilities, which is being CEO of Renault and Nissan, another one,” he said.

Ghosn said during the 45-minute interview that he and Wagoner probably will meet one-on-one today, with experts from both companies then working on the numbers.

Wagoner, too, focused on looking at the potential benefits of the alliance, and he stressed that GM still must focus on cutting costs and making products. “We cannot divert attention from executing our turnaround plan,” Wagoner said.

GM, which lost $10.6 billion last year and is in the midst of a major downsizing, has a lot on its plate, Wagoner said, including completing the sale of a 51 percent stake in its financial arm, General Motors Acceptance Corp., and forging a labor cost reduction deal involving its largest supplier, Delphi Corp., and its unions.