As some of the world’s best-known auto brands stumble in the global downturn, the Chinese auto industry is again on the prowl for bargains.

This time, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding is moving to get a piece of Saab, striking a tentative accord on Sunday for the right to produce versions of the beleaguered Swedish manufacturer’s older models in China.

The state-run Chinese company said in a statement on Monday that it would take over intellectual property for Saab’s current 9-5 and 9-3 platforms and some equipment to make these models, Reuters reported.

If completed, people close to the negotiations said on Sunday, the deal would not prevent a separate buyout of all of Saab, a unit of General Motors that was left flailing after negotiations last month between G.M. and the high-end Swedish automaker Koenigsegg to buy it failed.