Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg has signed a declaration of intent to buy General Motor's crisis-hit car manufacturer Saab, according to Swedish state television SVT.

Koenigsegg Automotive AB is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance cars based in Ängelholm. The company was founded in 1994 in Sweden by Christian von Koenigsegg.

The acquisition will be made in collaboration with Norwegian investors, SVT said, citing anonymous sources. The letter of intention was signed after intense dialogues in Zurich. The Norwegian investors are said to have the financial muscles needed.

"The deal is there now and a few minor details remain," Reuters writes, citing a source who declined to be identified, while both Saab and its parent company GM declined to comment on the report.

End negotiations about acquisition details will be held during the upcoming months.

Since Saab filed for protection from creditors in February, both GM and the Swedish government have been looking for a buyer. Earlier Thursday the government said it was prepared to negotiate state guarantees for a a 500-million-euro loan to Saab from the European Investment Bank, indicated that a sale was near.

"We have always said that the debt office could start negotiations on guaranteeing the loan when Saab has a new owner," state secretary for business Jöran Hägglund said, in a statement. "With today's decision we are well prepared for that”, he added.

In March, Forbes named the 2008 Koenigsegg CCX one of "world's most beautiful cars." The sports car manufacturer produces just 20 of its deluxe sports cars a year and sells each one for more than a million euros.

Saab had not named its suitors but British daily The Financial Times had named Koenigsegg plus two other bidders, the US investment firms Renco and Merbanco.

Media reports had also said Italy's Fiat was keen on buying Saab. Fiat on Wednesday sealed a deal to head the relaunch of another fallen US giant, Chrysler.

The Saab auto maker -- not to be confused with a Swedish defence company also called Saab -- sold 93,000 cars worldwide in 2008, according to its website.

It owes 9.7 billion kronor (1.3 billion dollars, 924 million euros) to GM -- its largest individual creditor -- as well as 347 million kronor to the Swedish government. Other creditors are owed 647 million kronor.

The Saab car maker employs about 3,400 people in Sweden. Including suppliers, some 15,000 jobs in the country are believed to be at risk if the company were to disappear.