STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN -- China's Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile has made a 3 billion crowns ($446 million) offer for Saab, which has drawn a cool response from receivers, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

The receivers want bids for parts of Saab rather than the whole business as that would raise more for creditors, the source said.

Saab was declared bankrupt last December after months of efforts to keep it afloat by Dutch owner Swedish Automobile.

"Youngman made an offer for all of Saab on Monday. They intend to start production in Trollhattan," the source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.

"(The receivers) said they are not interested in a dialogue about the entity but rather want bids for separate parts of the business," the source said. "Such a solution would ruin any chance of future car production in Trolhattan. But they have declared in plain terms that there are other, higher bids for parts of the business which would, added up, give greater returns."

The receivers and Youngman's legal representative in Sweden declined to comment.

The sticking point of the final rescue deal before Saab's bankruptcy was the refusal of former owner General Motors Co. to allow its technology, which underpins Saab cars, to fall into the hands of Youngman as GM already has cooperation with the Chinese group SAIC Motor.

The source said that, under the fresh offer, Youngman would initially produce Saab's old 9-3 model and a Lotus model for Malaysia's Proton. The cars would be made at Saab's factory in Trollhattan. Youngman has the rights to build and sell Lotus cars in China.

That would keep the business running until Youngman completed the development of Saab's half-finished PhoeniX platform, which is expected to be the base of future models, the source said.

The new platform relies very little on GM technology, but any buyer would have to invest heavily to complete it. Youngman predicts it would take around one and a half years to do so, the source said.

Sweden's Debt Office is the single biggest creditor to Saab having taken over the car maker's loan from the European Investment Bank and is owed abut 2.2 billion crowns.

Other companies that have been named in Swedish media as considering bids for Saab assets include Indian utility vehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra, Turkish investment firm Brightwell Holdings and Swedish engineering firm Semcon.

Any buyer wanting to use the Saab name would have to get permission from defense and security company Saab AB and truck maker Scania , as they still own the rights to the brand.

The receivers, who are due to finish the bankrupt estate's inventory by April, said in a statement they would not comment on interested parties or bids during the sale process.