NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. is talking to Chrysler LLC about possibly building a vehicle for Chrysler, but there is no discussion of any alliance agreement, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
Katherine Zachary, a spokeswoman at the Japanese automaker's North American headquarters, said Carlos Ghosn, who heads Nissan and Renault of France, confirmed the possible original-equipment manufacturer agreement with Chrysler while in Brazil.
Nissan is Japan's No. 3 automaker.
A spokeswoman for Chrysler, the third-largest U.S.-based automaker which became a private company this year, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
Such agreements are not foreign to Chrysler. The company announced a deal in July with China's biggest independent car company, Chery Automobile Co., to jointly produce and export cars to Western Europe and the United States.
Japan's Nikkei newspaper, without citing any sources, reported Saturday that Nissan and Chrysler were discussing an alliance to supply cars to the North American market.
Chrysler Chief Executive Robert Nardelli last week called reports about talks with Nissan speculation. He said a lot of auto companies are trying to collaborate, but he would not talk about Chrysler's plans.
Speculation has been growing that Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. may be looking for partners as they struggle to restructure their operations and boost profits.
