Dernières nouvelles de BMW sur les tractations en cours : un accord a bien été conclu (sans révéler avec qui...la NAC et la SAIC étant les principaux prétendants ) mais BMW a laissé à FORD moins de 90 jours pour arrêter le "deal". 
[BMW reaches deal to sell Rover brand rights
Reuters / August 22, 2006 - 9:00 am
MUNICH -- Germany's BMW, the world's largest premium carmaker, has reached a deal to sell the rights to the Rover brand, the company said today, but it did not name the buyer.
"A binding agreement was made," a spokesman for BMW said, confirming a report in German financial daily Handelsblatt.
BMW licensed the Rover brand to British investors in 2001 as part of a deal to dispose of MG Rover, while selling the Land Rover brand to Ford.
The Munich-based carmaker kept the Mini brand, and builds the popular subcompact at its Oxford plant in Britain.
Outgoing CEO Helmut Panke had said in mid-March that the group was in talks with several Chinese carmakers to sell the Rover rights, but said any decision would require the approval of Ford.
Nanjing Automobile, which acquired MG Rover assets and the sportscar brand MG last year during bankruptcy administration for MG Rover, along with Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) are considered to be the main candidates.SAIC owns the design rights to two Rover models including the BMW-designed and engineered Rover 75.
The spokesman for BMW said Ford has less than 90 days to stop the deal.Ford said it was considering whether to exercise the provision for first refusal on the deal.
It added in a statement that any owner of the Rover brand must respect wide-ranging restrictions for the use of the name, in particular in connection with vehicles that share SUV attributes such as 4x4, offroad or all-wheel-drive capability.
Last Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that the rights would be sold for 11 million pounds ($20.8 million) to SAIC.
SOURCE: Auomotive News Europe]
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