Spyker Cars is set to announce the purchase of Saab from General Motors and Sweden has agreed to guarantee loans for the deal from the European Investment Bank, Swedish television reported today.
The Dutch luxury carmaker is expected to present the purchase during a news conference today, a Swedish Television programme reported, without citing sources.
The report also said Swedish officials would hold a meeting at 1330 GMT to discuss the loan guarantees.
Saab Automobile declined to comment on the report while Swedish officials were not immediately available for comment.
Spyker chief executive Victor Muller said he had no immediate comment on the negotiations, but a statement from the firm later said it was confirming talks about Saab are ongoing, the outcome of which is still uncertain.
A spokesman for General Motors in Europe also declined to comment.
Lars Carlstrom, the spokesman for rival bidder Genii Capital, said there was still a chance that the deal could be derailed, but expected an announcement later today.
"As long as they have not signed there is a chance (of the sale not happening) yet it's most likely we will see an outcome of this today," he told Reuters.
General Motors announced on December 18th it was winding down the 60-year-old Swedish carmaker following the failure of sale negotiations with prospective buyer Koenigsegg.
Two wind-down supervisors took control of Saab earlier this month, but GM said it was continuing to evaluate offers during the wind-down process after Spyker and other parties submitted updated bids for the lossmaking brand.
Spyker has been in negotiations with GM over the weekend in Stockholm and is seen close to clinching a deal. Lars Carlstrom, of the Genii bid, said Spyker was no longer relying on financing from the Russian Antonov family, one of its shareholders.
"Antonov will be taken out of the deal through a requirement from the US government," he said.
Reuters