Washington - General Motors, the largest US car maker, Monday said a number of potential buyers "have surfaced and expressed interest" in buying its Saturn brand and retailer network.

The statement followed its announcement last week that it would look for buyers or solutions for its Saturn, Hummer and Saab brands.

GM said it hoped to secure an agreement with a specific buyer "later this year." It has retained S.J. Girsky & Company as advisor for the deal.

Saturn has about 400 retail dealerships in the US and Canada. Its brand includes the Sky roadster, the Aura midsize sedan, the Vue compact crossover, the midsize Outlook crossover and Astra compact car. Vue and Aura include a line of hybrids.

If GM does not find a buyer by year's end, the division is expected to close, the Detroit Free Press reported.

GM, which faces a June 1 deadline to become viable or declare bankruptcy, last week wrote the death sentence for Pontiac, its legendary muscle line that included Firebirds, Gran Ams and Trans Ams.

GM is on a 15.4-billion-dollar government lifeline that will be cut off if the company cannot reduce costs and become viable by June 1.

Last week, the country's third-largest car maker Chrysler, which had received 4.5 billion dollars in loans, ended up in bankruptcy reorganization last week after failing the test.