STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden's Saab faced an end to more than 60 years of car making on Monday after its Dutch owner abandoned repeated attempts to find financing and filed for its bankruptcy.

The end to months of efforts to keep the famed car maker afloat came when General Motors (GM.N) at the weekend again vetoed a plan involving Chinese investor Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile. GM, Saab's former owner, still licenses key technology to Saab and has a small shareholding.

"After having received the recent position of GM on the contemplated transaction with Saab Automobile, Youngman informed Saab Automobile that the funding to continue and complete the reorganization of Saab Automobile could not be concluded," Saab owner Swedish Automobile (SWAN.AS) said.

"The Board of Saab Automobile subsequently decided that the company without further funding will be insolvent and that filing bankruptcy is in the best interests of its creditors."

The company has been on the edge of demise since March, when cash problems forced it to halt production of its much-loved cars.

It later briefly re-started output at its plant in west Sweden, but mounting debts to suppliers caused a halt again in April, since when it has not made any vehicles.

Swedish Automobile chief executive Victor Muller stitched together a series of deals to rescue Saab, but General Motors has said it could not accept an option involving Youngman.

GM, which operates in China in a partnership with state-run SAIC Motor Corp Ltd (600104.SS), said in early November that continuing to supply parts and technology to Saab's new owners would run counter to the interest of its own shareholders.

Swedish Automobile said in the statement that it expected that the court would approve of the filing and appoint receivers for Saab Automobile very shortly.

(Reporting by Patrick Lannin and Veronika Ek; Editing by Erica Billingham)

STOCKHOLM – Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy on Monday after attempts by Chinese investors to take over the loss-making brand were blocked by previous owner General Motors Co.
The Vanersborg District Court in southwestern Sweden said Saab CEO Victor Muller personally handed in the application for bankruptcy for the company that built its first cars more than 60 years ago.
The court is expected to approve the filing later Monday and although there is still a small chance the bankruptcy administrator could sell the brand, experts say that would most likely involve chopping up the company into smaller parts.
Saab's current owner, Swedish Automobile, said Chinese investors pulled out of attempts to finance Saab's reorganization after their last proposal for a solution was rejected by GM, which sold the brand in 2010 but still owns some technology licenses.
The bankruptcy filing comes as a blow for the town of Trollhattan in southwestern Sweden, where Saab employs some 3,700 people at its factory.
Originally an aircraft maker, Saab entered into the auto market after World War II with the first production of the two-stroke-engine Saab 92. It soon became a household name in Sweden and in the 1970's it released its first turbocharged model — the landmark Saab 99.
To auto enthusiasts Saab was known for its quirks such as placing the ignition lock between the front seats and becoming the first car to sport heated seating in 1971.