Renault won't return to U.S.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday the French-Japanese automotive alliance has no plans to return to the U.S. market, preferring to focus on Renault's introduction in China.

Another long-departed European brand, Fiat, returned to the U.S. market this year with the Fiat 500 mini-car. Italian automaker Fiat SpA acquired Chrysler as part of the Obama administration's restructuring of Chrysler in 2009.

But Renault, Ghosn said, won't return to the U.S. in "the foreseeable future."

At the Automotive News World Congress, held in conjunction with the Detroit auto show, Ghosn touted Nissan's profitability and its growing market share. "Nissan has 65 models and all of them are profitable or in line to be profitable," he said.

In 1999, Nissan had 43 models, but only four made any money, Ghosn said. He believes the world is poised for an automotive sales boom in the coming decades, as developing nations gain wealth and embrace the freedom of personal mobility that comes with owning a car.

Worldwide auto volume was 77 million vehicles in 2011, Ghosn said, and the industry will likely exceed 100 million by 2020.

By 2050, there may be 2.5 billion vehicles on the planet, up from fewer than a billion.

China is among the fast-growing automotive markets. In 1999, Chinese bought about 600,000 vehicles. Last year, the number was about 17.3 million, the world's largest auto market.

"This data give us confidence that demand for cars will be strong in the next decades. But are we naively reacting to demographic shifts instead of proactively reshaping our industry, our cities and our planet?" Ghosn asked.

Nissan recovered much quicker from the March Japanese tsunami and earthquakes than its rivals, gaining 0.4 percent market share in 2011 in the United States. Ghosn vows to boost market share in the United States to 10 percent in all automotive segments.

That's in part because of a business focus. "I am a car guy... but I would never do something that does not make business sense," Ghosn said.

"Starting in 1999, we took an inward-looking, highly centralized and siloed company and created a decentralized, cross-functional and opportunistic Nissan. This was fundamental restructuring that is still paying off. That restructuring helps Nissan survive -- even thrive -- during subsequent crises." he said.

Ghosn, who was offered the job of CEO of General Motors in 2009 by the Obama administration, is bullish on the industry's future. "More than 50 million people globally earn their living in the auto industry. If vehicle manufacturing were a country, it would be the sixth largest economy in the world. We have a responsibility to ensure this industry can grow, prosper and meet the expectations of society for safer, cleaner and more affordable mobility," Ghosn said.

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