PARIS — Patrick Pélata, one of Carlos Ghosn's most trusted lieutenants, has been promoted to chief operating officer of Renault. Ghosn remains president and CEO of the French automaker.In his new job, Pélata, 53, will be responsible for day-to-day operations, with members of the Renault executive committee and leaders of the regions reporting directly to him. Ghosn retains responsibility for finance, public affairs and strategic decisions.Pélata has engineering degrees from École Polytechnique and École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, as well as a Ph.D. in socioeconomics from École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He joined Renault in 1984 as a manager at the Flins plant.Pélata became a member of the Renault management committee when he was named senior vice president of vehicle engineering development in 1998. He moved to Tokyo the following year, after Renault acquired a controlling interest in Japanese automaker Nissan, and served as executive vice president and a member of the Nissan board of directors. He was named a Renault executive vice president in 2005, in charge of product planning and programs.Inside Line says: A Renault insider rises to the top. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent