Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation has submitted a late offer for General Motors European operations, formally putting the Chinese carmaker in the race against a front-running Russian-backed bid. 北汽后发竞购欧宝 China s BAIC submits late Opel bid Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation has submitted a late offer for General Motors European operations, formally putting the Chinese carmaker in the race against a front-running Russian-backed bid. BAIC bid €660m ($920m) for a stake in GM s Opel unit before the deadline on Thursday night, three people close to the sale said yesterday. The non-binding offer is the third received by GM in an unexpectedly tight race. Magna International, the Canadian supplier that signed a memorandum of understanding with GM in May to buy 55 per cent with Russia s Sberbank, is still ahead. But a source close to GM described BAIC s approach as "credible and well-advised". GM recently ramped up talks with rival suitors after tougher-than-expected talks with Magna, which signed a memorandum of understanding with GM in May to buy 55 per cent of the carmaker together with Russia s Sberbank. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Germany s economics minister, has encouraged rival bids because of his reservations about Magna s offer, which most of his colleagues endorsed in late May. Opel s bail-out has become an election-year issue in Germany, where Magna has strong backing. RHJ International, a Brussels-based industrial holding company linked to US buy-out group Ripplewood, has also made a non-binding offer. Fiat is also interested but pledged no cash for the stake. BAIC, which is being advised by Deutsche Bank, made a last-minute expression of interest in late May. "There is a huge opportunity for someone else to come in, but Magna still has the lead role," a person briefed on the sale said. GM, Magna and the other bidders are not commenting. Someone who had seen BAIC s offer said it was "comparable with the others" but with the "very significant" difference that it would let GM keep a larger stake. GM, which filed for bankruptcy protection in the US last month but could exit Chapter 11 next week, is selling the stake to raise government financing for its European arm. Its talks with Magna have hit snags over access to GM s global intellectual property by Magna and its Russian partners, and arrangements for markets such as Canada, Russia and China. If its bid succeeds, Magna will make cars with Gaz, Oleg Deripaska s Russian car company. 北京汽车工业控股公司(Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation)在最后时刻向通用汽车(General Motors)的欧洲业务发出收购要约，正式加入竞购。目前得到俄罗斯支持的竞购方占据领先地位。 三位知情人士上周五表示，北汽控股在上周四晚截止期限前，出价6.6亿欧元(合9.2亿美元)竞购通用汽车旗下欧宝(Opel)的股权。 这份不具约束力的要约是通用汽车收到的第三份，竞购的激烈程度出人意料。 加拿大供应商麦格纳国际公司(Magna International)仍占据领先地位，该公司5月份就与通用汽车签署了谅解备忘录，将与俄罗斯的Sberbank联手收购欧宝的55%股权。但一位知情人士形容北汽控股的提议“可靠、考虑周详”。 通用汽车与麦格纳之间的谈判出乎意料的艰难，于是在最近加紧了与其他竞购方的谈判。 德国经济部长卡尔-特奥多尔