Auto industry sources say Proton has held preliminary talks with Ford and GM, but it is unclear how a deal with either of them could be reconciled with the fact that Mitsubishi owns 16% of the Malaysian carmaker, and DaimlerChrysler is buying 34% of Mitsubishi.

CNN: Local Win, Global Worries

There was also an incident last April, when WestLB admitted it had inadvertently amassed 14% of DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ) to become the German carmaker's biggest shareholder.

FORBES: Fischer Pays Price For WestLB Trading Scandal