In the United States, the finance unit of Nissan Motor has reached a tentative settlement with black and Hispanic car buyers who said that the company discriminated against minority customers by charging them higher interest rates.

Under the terms of the settlement, the carmaker's finance unit, the Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation, will offer pre-approved loans to hundreds of thousands of current and potential black and Hispanic Nissan owners, and will limit how much it raises the interest charged to car buyers above the company's minimum acceptable rate.

The settlement will also result in the payment of $5,000 to $20,000 to the 10 people named in the class-action lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Nashville.