Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has approached MG Rover’s former badge maker to see if it will supply its products.

The Chinese company wrote to Hertfordshire-based parts supplier IT Mouldings asking if it would supply rear boot badges for the Rover 75.

SAIC plans to build more than 321,000 75s over the next five years. But it must still ask BMW for the rights to the Rover brand name.

SAIC has also expressed interest in bidding for collapsed UK car manufacturer MG Rover’s Powertrain division.

SAIC has a 300-strong team - until recently supplemented by 40 MG Rover engineers - working on readying its acquisition of rights to elements of the MG Rover 75 and 25 models for production in China, and it was confirmed last week that SAIC had approached certain MG Rover suppliers with invitations to tender components prices.