China's Sichuan Auto denies interest in GM's Hummer

SHANGHAI, Feb 17 - Sichuan Auto Industry Group Co, a tiny automaker in southwest China, has no interest in buying General Motors' Hummer unit, a senior company executive said on Wednesday, denying media reports.

Sichuan Auto was reported to be in talks with GM to buy its sport-utility vehicle subsidiary and could pay up to $500 million for the deal.

"It's a complete rumour. We have never had discussions with GM, nor are we interested in Hummer," said the Chinese executive who asked not to be identified.

Privately-owned Sichuan Auto has about 1 billion yuan ($146.3 million) in assets and nearly 1,000 staff, according to its website. It has a production capacity of 30,000 passenger cars and 5,000 buses annually

GM, which has to convince the U.S. Congress of its viability in order to keep $13.4 billion in federal loans, has been seeking buyers for its Hummer SUV line, the Swedish brand Saab and a medium-duty truck business based in Flint, Michigan.

Hunan Changfeng Motor Co, partly owned by Mitsubishi Motor, had shown initial interest in GM's Hummer brand, but backed off shortly, a source with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters in August. ($1=6.835 Yuan)