US auto maker Ford is to meet representatives from leading investment banks in London next week to discuss the possible sale of its Volvo Cars subsidiary, the newspaper Dagens Industri reported on Friday.
The paper, which did not cite its source, said four candidates were in the running to acquire the Swedish auto manufacturer: the Chinese groups Changan and Dongfeng, along with a European alliance and “an unidentified” consortium.
The paper said that Ford, which wants to sell Volvo Cars for 3.0-4.0 billion dollars (2.3-3.0 billion euros), would confer in London next week with representatives from investment banks Citigroup, JP Morgan and Rothschild to discuss the deal.
It added that Renault-Nissan of France was “likely” to have been the group that asked Rothschild to represent it at the meeting.
A spokeswoman for Volvo Cars declined to comment on the newspaper report.
Ford Motor Company, despite a huge 14.57-billion-dollar loss last year, has said it still has “sufficient liquidity” to fund a turnaround plan without US government aid.
The company said in early December it was considering the sale of Volvo Cars, which it acquired in 1999 for 6.45 billion dollars.
