The Renault-Nissan auto alliance is not interested in buying DaimlerChrysler's loss-making Chrysler division, despite exploring a North American partnership last year, a Nissan official said Wednesday.
Tokyo-based Nissan, 44 percent owned by Renault SA of France, is always open to new partnerships, but not right now because it is focused on its own financial woes, spokeswoman Madoka Soma said.
Carlos Ghosn, head of both automakers, entered unsuccessful partnership talks with Detroit-based General Motors Corp. last year and had said a North American ally would be a good balance for his firm.
But after Nissan reported a 22 percent slump in earnings in the October-December quarter, priorities have changed.
"As Mr. Ghosn has said, the company right now is as it is today because it has its own problems inside and we're not going outside to look for the solutions," Soma said. "We're not in a rush for a partner."
The auto industry has been pondering the fate of Chrysler since last week, when its German parent, DaimlerChrysler AG, said it was putting all options on the table in dealing with its troubled U.S. unit.
Speculation about potential partners, or even a buyer, jumping in to use Chrysler's expansive parts and dealership network to gain entry into the U.S. market has ranged from a tieup with Nissan and Renault to talk of a link with Hyundai or even GM.
While announcing earnings earlier this month, Ghosn said Nissan faced a "performance crisis" that must be fixed as "soon as possible." DaimlerChrysler's fourth-quarter earnings fell 40 percent on weaker demand at the Chrysler unit, where sales fell 7 percent. Chrysler lost about $162.8 million in the period.