The West Bengal government, still licking the wounds of Tata Motors' pull-out of the `Nano' small car project from the state, is looking to communist China's largest automobile manufacturer to save it from the ignominy.

The state government has included Singur in a list of sites being considered by Chinese automobile manufacturer First Automobile Works Limited (FAW) for setting up base in India.

Rendian Sheng, vice president of First Automobile, who met chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and industries minister Nirupam Sen at the state secretariat today, has expressed interest in opening an automobile manufacturing unit in the state in collaboration with Ural India Limited.

Ural already has a presence in West bengal in heavy vehicles manufacturing, with a heavy trucks manufacturing unit in Haldia. The unit caters mostly to the defence sector. 

''FAW is China's largest automobile manufacturing company and has shown interest in setting up an automobile unit in West Bengal. It will make all kinds of cars, including heavy vehicles,'' Sen said.

Sen, however, declined to say whether the government plans to offer if the Singur plot to the company, although he said it can be a possible location. Sites in Kalyani, Haldia and Kharagpur have also been discussed with the FAW, he said.

FAW is planning to set up a joint venture with Ural India for manufacturing small cars and buses. The joint venture would make 5,000 small cars a month priced at Rs1.6 lakh each, said JK Saraff, chairman of Ural India.

The joint venture was looking for a 600 acre plot and Saraff said the discussion was a preliminary one. While land in Singur was developed, at the same time, it had been leased out to another company, he pointed out.

FAW, the biggest car manufacturer in China, produces 20 lakh cars every year. The company has worked in collaboration with auto majors like Mazda, Toyota, Audi, Valkswagen and have expertise in small cars, buses, omnibus and heavy vehicles.

A 15-member Chinese team, led by Li Xiansheng, executive governor of Hubei province in China, is reported to have also met urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya and power minister Mrinal Banerjee to  discuss many things, including investment opportunities in Bengal.