• Miami Herald/AP, Wednesday, October 24, 2007 11:30 AM

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says he is still interested in a partnership with a major U.S. automaker, but there no discussions being held at present. Talks between Ghosn and General Motors about a possible alliance ended without a deal about a year ago. Proponents said the alliance would create significant savings, but critics said it could be a distraction from GM's efforts to return to profitability.

An ongoing collaboration between Nissan and Renault has worked to the benefit of both companies, Ghosn says. The two companies save costs by using the same auto parts and sharing research. "If you want to do more of this kind of value, you need a third partner," Ghosn says, adding "if we move, we must move at the moment when confidence in Nissan and Renault in terms of growth and profit is very strong."

Touching on a more futuristic topic, Ghosn says Nissan is targeting the commercial mass production of electric cars by 2012. He says the future is in electric cars--especially for urban driving--and that Nissan has made advances in lithium-ion batteries.

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