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Telecomunicaciones y tecnología

Navistar accuses Icahn of "threats, attacks and disruption"


    (Reuters) - Navistar International Corp accused large shareholder Carl Icahn of conducting a campaign of "threats, attacks and disruption" and said it was committed to a plan to cut costs and review possible asset sales.

    "Navistar maintains an ongoing dialogue with its shareholders and appreciates their input and views," the U.S. truck and engine maker said on Monday. "After a year of dialogue, we are extremely disappointed that Mr. Icahn has chosen to pursue his unproductive tactics of threats, attacks, and disruption."

    Billionaire investor Icahn slammed Navistar on Sunday for naming a new chief executive without consulting large shareholders and urged the company to offer four board seats to shareholders immediately.

    The Navistar board's recent decision to appoint Lewis Campbell as chairman and interim CEO was "worse than ill-advised," Icahn said in an open letter to the directors.

    Icahn holds a roughly 15 percent stake in Navistar, which has been hit hard by a failed engine strategy and has struggled to win U.S. regulatory approval for a novel diesel engine technology.

    Icahn, hedge fund MHR Fund Management and asset manager Franklin Resources Inc together own nearly half of Navistar.

    In June, the Lisle, Illinois, company adopted a 'poison pill' defense to keep any investor from acquiring a more than 15 percent stake.

    (Reporting by Nick Zieminski in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and John Wallace)