China Watch : SAIC to acquire GM stake if Government approves

Automotive News China/Reuters, 15th November, 2010

(Reuters) – Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. has reached an agreement in principle to take a stake in General Motors Co. if Chinese regulators approve the deal, a person familiar with the matter said. China’s Government would have to approve the investment before Wednesday for SAIC to participate in GM’s initial public offering of shares, the person said.

The amount of the proposed investment by China’s top automaker was not immediately clear on Sunday. Negotiations between the two sides have focused on an investment of $1 billion or less in a move that would help cement agreements for increased cooperation between the automakers outside China.

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the talks, said SAIC was looking at a 1 percent stake in GM valued at $500 million. The newspaper said several sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East and Asia also are expected to invest in the automaker’s initial public offering, giving foreign investors an estimated 4 percent stake in GM.

The automaker is expected to price its IPO on Wednesday and begin trading shares on Thursday. The US Government is expected to reduce its stake in the automaker from 61 percent to 25 percent after the initial public offering.

GM and SAIC representatives could not be reached immediately for comment. The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to speak publicly as the discussions between GM and SAIC remain private.

[Source: Automotive News China/Reuters]

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Clive Goldthorp

Clive claims that his interest in the BMC>MG story dates back to his childhood in the 1960s when the family’s garage premises were leased to a tenant with an Austin agency. However, back in the 1920s and 1930s, his grandmother was one of the country’s first female Garage Proprietors so cars probably run in his genes!

He owned an 06/06 MG TF 135 and then a 15/64 MG3 Style for much of the time he has been associated with AROnline - more recently, though, he has re-kindled a long-standing Alfa Romeo affair with an 18/68 Giulia Veloce 280...

Clive, who was AROnline’s News Editor for nearly four years, stood down from that role in order to devote more time to various Motor Racing and other projects, but remains active behind the scenes sub-editing content on a regular basis.

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