(Updates with FOCUS report adding Gaz as potential bidder)
FRANKFURT (AFX) - The bidding process for DaimlerChrysler AG's ailing US unit Chrysler will start as soon as next week, The Detroit News said in a report published on its website yesterday.
The report, quoting people familiar with the matter, said private investors and automakers are expected to receive confidential data on Chrysler by investment bank JP Morgan Chase as a first step in the process.
The report said General Motors Corp and several foreign car companies will likely get the prospectus, which breaks down Chrysler's assets, liabilities and future product plans as well as sales projections.
Cerberus Capital, Apollo Management, the Carlyle Group and the Blackstone Group are also to receive the document, The Detroit News added.
Germany's FOCUS magazine also mentions Gaz Auto Works, the Russian automaker, as a suitor, in a pre-release of a report to be published Monday.
The manufacturer of Russia's former luxury brand Wolga already uses a Chrysler four-cylinder motor for its cars and mini-vans and bought assembly tools from the US carmaker in 2006, the report added.
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