SHANGHAI Automotive (SAIC), the Chinese carmaker that lost out in the bidding process for MG Rover last week, said yesterday it was considering a legal challenge to the court-appointed administrator’s decision to sell Rover to fellow Chinese company Nanjing Automobile.

Workers at MG Rover were today hoping more jobs would be created at its Longbridge, UK factory after Chinese firm Nanjing bought the collapsed carmaker.

The future of collapsed carmaker MG Rover looked set to be settled tonight with the sale of the company, raising hopes of a limited return of production to the huge Longbridge plant.

A British bid for the MG division of the stricken MG Rover Group is expected to be formally offered today.

Business trouble-shooter David James is expected to file a £40m (€58m) bid for MG Rover within 48 hours, it was reported today.

The company troubleshooter who rescued the Millennium Dome is bidding to take over collapsed car group MG Rover, it emerged today.

Administrators organising the sale of MG Rover today refused to comment on claims the collapsed car giant sold one of its key assets – the MG TF sports car - to the Chinese firm SAIC by accident.

There was a culture of “dreadful inertia” at collapsed car company MG Rover, its former design director said today.

The chances of car production ever resuming at MG Rover looked bleak today as administrators to the collapsed company made it clear they were running out of time to achieve a rescue deal.

Administrators to collapsed car giant MG Rover are talking to five companies interested in buying parts of the business and there was an "outside possibility" that some form of production could resume at the giant Longbridge plant, it was announced today.

Thousands of workers at MG Rover were today awaiting the inevitable arrival of their redundancy notices following the collapse of the carmaker.

THOUSANDS of workers at ailing car giant MG Rover were sent home on full pay yesterday and were left in no doubt that the chances of a deal to secure their future were slim.

Thousands of workers at ailing British car giant MG Rover were sent home on full pay today and were left in no doubt that the chances of a deal to secure their future were slim.

British Chancellor Gordon Brown today indicated that claims MG Rover bosses made millions may be part of a future investigation into the ailing car group.

Administrators at the collapsed MG Rover car group are seeking to reopen discussions with Chinese manufacturers SAIC to revive a deal which could keep the company’s Longbridge plant open, it was confirmed today.

The British Prime Minister tonight held out fresh hopes that a rescue deal can be agreed to save thousands of jobs being lost at car giant MG Rover.

Major Chinese car maker Shanghai Automotive Industry Group (Corp) is still in takeover talks with Britain’s MG Rover Group, a senior official at China’s national planning agency said today.

Thousands of workers at car giant MG Rover are waiting for news today about crucial talks on a joint venture with a proposed Chinese partner after the revelation that the negotiations had “stalled”.

A €580 million pension black hole could scupper a rescue deal for ailing car group MG Rover, it emerged yesterday.

Chinese car giant Shanghai Automotive is preparing to submit plans to acquire ailing Rover in the next few days, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has said.

CHINESE carmaker SAIC is set to control a crucial joint venture with MG Rover under terms of a cooperation deal expected to win approval from Beijing early next year, MG Rover says.