Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s CEO thinks that the sluggish U.S. automotive market won’t recover until 2011

“The U.S. is slumping in 2008,” Ghosn said today at a conference in Portugal. “At best, in 2009 and 2010 we’ll see a stabilization.”

Ghosn believes that the European and Japanese markets will also continue to decline.

Speaking on the possibility of a future American partner ship Ghosn said that Nissan sees partnership as an opportunity not an obligation.

“We’re not looking for scale, we’re looking for value” from a potential U.S. expansion, Ghosn said. Nissan is “not interested in buying any brands from Chrysler or any other companies.”

Source: Detroit News