FRANKFURT (AFP) - Amid strained ties with partner DaimlerChrysler, Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors could soon reduce cooperation with the German-US auto giant, Mitsubishi's chief executive revealed in a newspaper interview.
Company chief Hideyasu Tagaya told the Handelsblatt newspaper it was no longer Mitsubishi's preferred option to use common platforms with the US subsidiary Chrysler to produce medium-sized sedans.
However he said that no "definitive decision" had been taken.
On small car platforms, Tagaya said "we are only developing the Mitsubishi model" at the moment, which also suggested that the partnership with DaimlerChrysler might no longer be a priority.
His comments served only to reinforce reports in the Japanese press last month that Mitsubish has decided to reduce the scope of its business cooperation with the German-US auto giant.
In a shock decision in April, DaimlerChrysler, the world's fourth biggest car maker, slammed the brakes on its alliance with Mitsubishi Motors, saying it would not pump any more cash into the loss-making Japanese firm.