Each day brings a new rumour about a troubled US carmaker peddling brands to China: one day Ford is rumoured to be selling Volvo to Chery, one of China’s biggest car companies; the next day General Motors is said to be selling Hummer to little Sichuan Motors.

Nothing is impossible in China but, as US automakers scramble to raise funds, car industry insiders in China say they do not expect Beijing to take over Detroit in the near future. They say that most Chinese companies lack the money, the expertise or the appetite for risk required to buy a foreign auto brand now – and many lack all three.