The New York Times (Paris) - Saab Automobile said Friday that it had won a reprieve from collapse after two Chinese carmakers agreed in principle to buy the ailing Swedish automaker just hours before it faced court action that could have led to its liquidation.

Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile and Pang Da Automobile Trade agreed to pay 100 million euros, or $140 million, for Saab and its British unit, according to Saab's parent company, Swedish Automobile.

"We had been struggling for the last six or seven months, to the extent that many people had given up on us," Victor R. Muller, the Dutch entrepreneur behind Spyker cars and Swedish Automobile, said in a conference call with journalists.

With the new owners, he said, "there will be stability, there will be funds and there will be clarity for the future of our business."

It was the second time in two years that Chinese investors had come to the aid of the Swedish auto industry. Last year, the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group paid Ford Motor $1.8 billion for Volvo.

Martin Skold, a scholar at the Stockholm School of Economics who follows the auto industry, said it was too early to say Saab was saved.

"Saab is in great need of an enormous amount of money," he said, estimating that it would take at least $800 million and possibly as much as $1.5 billion to turn it around. "We'll have to wait to see how much the Chinese are willing to invest in it," he added.

Mr. Muller acquired Saab last year from General Motors, which was then recovering from its own bankruptcy. But Saab, which has a long-established base of dedicated customers, has so far not been able to right itself.

The Chinese companies agreed in the spring to invest a combined 245 million euros ($347 million) for a 54 percent stake after Saab's main factory in Trollhattan, Sweden, shut down over unpaid bills. But negotiations dragged on, leaving Saab in an increasingly precarious state.

With employees unpaid for months, Saab's unions began legal proceedings in September that could have put the company into bankruptcy. Mr. Muller sought and received court protection from creditors to reorganize and complete the Chinese investments.