Saab can still find a buyer for the whole firm, a spokesman for the loss-making auto maker said on Sunday after The Wall Street Journal reported China's BAIC had agreed with General Motors to buy some of the Swedish company's assets.

Saab, one of Sweden's best known brands, has been hoping an 11th-hour savior would turn up after parent GM said in late November it would wind down the firm if a buyer did not appear before the end of this month.

Dutch sports car maker Spyker Cars NV is still in talks about buying the brand, its chief executive Victor Muller told ANP-Reuters on Sunday.

He added that a deal with BAIC would be good news for the Dutch firm, because it involved assets which he described as equipment for old Saab models.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. has reached a tentative deal to acquire certain Saab assets.

Citing a source with direct knowledge of the deal, WSJ said on its website that the deal included production equipment and intellectual property for Saab's 9-3 and 9-5 models.

BAIC, which has made clear it has no interest in acquiring Saab's production hub in Trollhattan, Sweden, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Saab spokesman Eric Geers said he was confident that a buyer for Saab Automobile would be found.

We can't comment on anything about the sales process, he told Reuters.

The global car industry, already suffering from massive overcapacity, has been among the hardest hit sectors during the recent economic downturn.

Saab needs massive investment to update its models and reverse sliding sales over recent years.

Spyker first said earlier this month it was interested in Saab, after GM's deal with Swedish luxury car builder Koenigsegg collapsed.

Spyker, which has roots dating to 1875, last year sold 43 of its luxury cars at prices of 200,000 euros ($294,200) and above. Its primary backers include Russian banking tycoon Vladimir Antonov and his Convers Group.

For a timeline on Saab, click here:

(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby and Djaja Ottenhof in Amsterdam, Ken Wills and Michael Wei in Beijing; editing by Simon Jessop)

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