Renault names new chief operating officer

French carmaker Renault SA named a top executive of Nissan Americas as its new chief operating officer, in an effort to move on from an embarrassing scandal around false accusations of espionage.

The partially state-owned French manufacturer said Carlos Tavares, head of operations at the US division of Renault partner Nissan, will take up the post immediately.

In a statement, Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive officer of both Renault and Nissan, called the appointment of long-time Renault veteran Mr Tavares “a first step in strengthening Renault’s management”.