In what appears to be yet another twist in the ongoing Saab bankruptcy saga, BMW has emerged as one of the six or seven parties interested in buying out the troubled Swedish automaker. According to Saabs United, multiple media sources are claiming that a serious bidder is a European car-manufacturer, while several independent sources indicate the European company is German and located in Munich, which narrows things down considerably.

Given that back in 2010 BMW signed an engine purchasing agreement with Saab, and that they plan to expand their product portfolio with more fuel-efficient FWD cars, building Saabs and their own models on a shared platform is not out of the realms of possibility. At the administrator's weekly press conference, having confirmed that another week is needed to sort out the pressing salary situation of many employees, the administrators then confirmed that the highest bidder may not win the deal. Instead it "will go to the company that can present the best combination which will benefit the creditors, employees and the region the most."

This translates as the bidder that's most capable of kick-starting production and that has the nous and infrastructure to run the company long term has the best chance of taking over the reins. Chinese, Indian and Turkish companies remain in contention but based on the administrator's criteria, BMW must be the front-runner.