GM seals deal to sell Saab to Spyker

Suspended trading in Spyker shares untill Spyker confirms General Motors agreed to sell Saab.

US automaker General Motors has agreed to sell its Saab brand to Dutch luxury sports car manufacturer Spyker, US television channel CNBC said Tuesday.

A Spyker spokesman refused to confirm the report to AFP, and GM officials were not available to comment.

But the Dutch financial market regulator suspended trading in Spyker shares on the Amsterdam stock exchange Tuesday ''pending (a) press release'' from the sportscar maker, bidding for Sweden's Saab.

Trade was suspended at 1245 GMT ''until further notice,'' the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) said in a statement.

Spyker's shares gained 2.84 percent Tuesday to reach 3.91 euros at suspension, having risen more than 60 percent on Monday.

Spyker spokesman Sander van Dijk confirmed that ''we will issue a statement later today'' but gave no further details.

GM head Ed Whitacre said Monday his struggling group was in advanced talks with Spyker to sell off the Swedish brand but there was no firm deal yet.