Saab Automobile AB, the Swedish car maker being sold by General Motors Corp. (GM), doesn't expect to see any impact from GM's application for bankruptcy protection, Saab said Monday.

"What is happening in the U.S. with GM is obviously unfortunate for people there, although doesn't change things for us," said Saab spokesman Eric Geers.

Loss-making Saab Friday won more time to restructure while it pursues a sale after a local district court extended the Trollhattan, Sweden-based company's creditor protection period to Aug. 20.

"The sale process for Saab is continuing and we are in talks with two to three interested parties," Geers said.

He declined to name the companies involved in the talks and said he expects GM to announce a new owner for Saab by the end of June or early July.

Saab Automobile's Managing Director Jan-Ake Jonsson said the company is making good progress with the talks and interest in Saab is high.

"We are trying now to narrow it down to a couple (of companies) that we will proceed with," Jonsson said in a video interview on the company's Web site.

"We are looking, of course, for a financially strong company, companies that have a long-term interest in Saab Automobiles, as well as companies where Saab is a good fit," Jonsson said.

"We hope to select one of the alternatives and within a couple of weeks we should be ready to announce who they are."

 
   Company Web site: www.saab.com 
 
   -By Ian Edmondson, Dow Jones Newswires; +46-8-5451-3094; ian.edmondson@dowjones.com