Fiat has confirmed it will make a non-binding offer to buy struggling Italian coachbuilder Bertone.

The car maker is among five companies interested in the manufacturer.

The others are entrepreneurs Gianmario Rossignolo and Domenico Reviglio, Chinese automaker FAW Group Corp and an unnamed Spanish consortium, reports the Automotive News website.

FAW is one of China’s largest automakers. It has joint ventures in China with Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp and has a license to produce cars for Daihatsu and Mazda.

However it does not build or sell cars in Europe.

The deadline to make bids for Bertone is Thursday, July 16 while the winning bidder will be named at the end of the month.

Fiat declined to say what it plans to build at Bertone's Turin factory which still employs about 1,140 people.