Already the owner of the assets from two European manufacturers (MG and Rover), the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) may be in talks to help save another. Automotive News Europe reports that the Chinese automaker is in talks to ink a development deal with ailing German coachbuilder Karmann.

A group of executives from SAIC visited Karmann's factory in Osnabruck, Germany last week, eying the company's production capabilities. That ability has grown since the discontinuation of the Chrysler Crossfire last December, and the upcoming move of Audi's A4 cabrio production to an in-house facility. By 2009, when Karmann's contract to build the Mercedes-Benz CLK expires, the plant will be completely empty, should no new contract deals be inked.

(Click through for more on SAIC's visit)

Although there is a chance that an SAIC product could be built in part or completely within the Karmann plant, it's more likely the officials were interested in Karmann's ability to serve as a contract engineering firm. The automaker may be interested in bringing more of its products to European markets, but not before they're re-engineered to appeal to customer demands.

In the meantime, Karmann officials wouldn't comment on what vehicles were discussed at the meeting, and they also noted the visit didn't guarantee the firm would "get a production contract." SAIC officials were also scheduled to meet with other contract manufacturers in Europe - possibly good news for Pininfarina and even better news for the troubled Bertone.

+ Automotive News Europe: Will the Chinese help save Karmann?