Ford Is Said to Seek Alliance With Nissan, Renault

Shares of Ford Motor Co. surged 4.6% on Wednesday after a news report that Chief Executive William Clay Ford Jr. had approached Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, about forming a global alliance.

The report in the Wall Street Journal cited “a person wellpositioned to know.” It was part of a commentary in the paper’s opinion section by Paul Ingrassia, vice president for news strategy of Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co., and Joseph B. White, the paper’s Detroit bureau chief.

Ford spokesman Oscar Suris said Wednesday that the company would not comment on what he called speculation.

Nissan spokesman Fred Standish said he was unaware of any such discussion involving Ghosn, the highly regarded turnaround specialist who heads the Japanese automaker and its controlling partner, Renault of France.

William Ford, a great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, had approached Ghosn about taking a top position at the company as far back as August 2005, according to previously published news reports.

“It simply means that Ford is desperate, that they’re trying to find something that will reverse even temporarily their slide in the market,” Eugene Jennings, a business professor emeritus at Michigan State University, told Bloomberg News.

Ford Motor rival General Motors Corp. is in talks with Nissan and Renault about the possibility of joining their global alliance.

Ford shares rose 34 cents to $7.76 but remain well off their 52-week high of $10.20.

The Associated Press and Bloomberg News were used in compiling this report.