15 or so potential buyers are considering acquiring the Ford industrial complex in Saarlouis, Germany, The Wall Street Journal reports. The main candidate is BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of PHEVs and BEVs.

The report claims that a delegation from Ford will be flying to China for negotiations in a week. If the deal succeeds, it will further cement the position of BYD as a leading international car manufacturer.

The factory currently only assembles the Ford Focus, which is set to leave the market for good in 2025 with no successor – not even an electric one. The corresponding statement was made by Stuart Rowley, Ford’s head of Europe, in June 2022. This means the industrial facilities will have to be sold or otherwise shut down, leaving many of its current 4,600 employees looking for new jobs.

Markus Thal, the leader of a trade union in Saarlouis, pointed out that Ford picked up the pace in the negotiations to let the factory workers know as soon as possible what awaits them in the near future. The automaker hopes to be able to decide on the fate of the complex by the end of Q1 2023.

Neither Ford nor BYD have confirmed being in negotiations regarding the site. BYD, which has already introduced China-made cars in multiple countries throughout Europe, said last fall that it had intended to expand its sales geography and model lineups, which necessitated localized production in Europe.