Malaysian auto company Mofaz Group has teamed up with a foreign partner to bid for a stake in ailing national carmaker Proton, a top company official said today.

Mofaz group president Mohamed Fauzy Abdul Hamid said the company's proposal to buy up a stake in Proton had been submitted three months ago.

"Mofaz made a written submission to the government three months back ... We are going to work with a foreign partner," Mohamed Fauzy told AFP in an email.

"The government has acknowledged Mofaz submission and they are currently taking it into consideration for the final selection," he said.

Mohamed Fauzy declined to name the foreign partner or to detail the size of the stake sought by the partnership.

Mofaz sells imported cars and trucks including Honda, Volkswagen and Chevrolet and is the third Malaysian group to express an interest in Proton.

The other two, Naza Group and DRB-Hicom Bhd, announced this month they were interested in the government's 43 percent stake in troubled Proton, owned through its investment arm Kazanah Nasional.

The government is in talks with PSA Peugeot Citroen to discuss areas of possible collaboration, as well as German automaker Volkswagen AG, which is reportedly keen on a majority stake in Proton's manufacturing arm.

Analysts say Proton needs to find a strong foreign partner to help revive its fortunes - it reported a RM58.6 million loss in its first quarter to June.