Daimler's Dieter Zetsche: the company gave no comment on the story
The German-based car company Daimler and three of its subsidiaries have been accused of paying bribes to a large number of foreign governments.
The allegations were made in court papers filed in the United States.
Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks, is said to have made payments from 1998 to 2008.
The US Justice Department has accused the company of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to officials of at least 22 governments.
They are alleged to include China, Russia, Egypt and Greece.
The money was allegedly aimed at persuading governments to buy Daimler vehicles in deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
American law prohibits companies which operate in the US from making improper payments to officials of other countries.
Payouts
Reuters news agency says it has learned from a source close to Daimler, which has been lead by chief executive Dieter Zetsche since 2006, that it is preparing to pay a heavy fine of $185m (£121) to the two bodies investigating the claims, the US Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
If the settlement proceeds, it would mark the latest in a string of recent agreements between the United States and major companies to settle foreign bribery allegations.
Siemens agreed in December to pay $1.3bn to end corruption probes in the United States and Germany.
Daimler has previously acknowledged payments that raised concerns about legal violations and has said it was co-operating with the investigations.
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