General Motors Corp.'s (GM) Saab Automobile AB Thursday declined to comment on a report by Swedish television that it has agreed to be sold to Swedish exclusive sports car maker Koenigsegg Automobile AB.

Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs said the report by Swedish television station SVT is "speculation from other channels, and I can't comment on speculation."

SVT, citing anonymous sources, reported that Saab and Koenigsegg have signed a letter of intent, and that the deal would be backed by Norwegian investors.

Final negotiations are expected to take months, the station said.

Koenigsegg could not be reached for comment.

Based in southern Sweden, Koenigsegg was founded in 1993 by Christian von Koenigsegg, who remains chief executive.

Koenigsegg reportedly has sold about 70 cars in total, including 18 vehicles last year.

In March, Forbes.com named the 2008 Koenigsegg CCX as one of "world's most beautiful cars."

Earlier Thursday the Swedish government said it has asked its national debt office to start negotiations with Saab about a state guarantee for a loan from the European Investment Bank.

Saab has said that securing a EUR500 million loan from the EIB is a cornerstone in its plans for signing a final agreement with a new owner and returning to profitability.

GM bought a 50% stake in Saab in 1990 and acquired the rest in 2000. GM has said that Saab has been loss-making for almost all of those years.

Company Web site: www.saab.com, www.koenigsegg.com, www.gm.com

-By Ola Kinnander, Dow Jones Newswires; +46-8-5451-3097; ola.kinnander@dowjones.com