Administrators at MG Rover are still discovering what they have left to sell.

A spokeswoman said discussions had been continuing with various parties over the weekend.

She said they still needed to establish what rights Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation had to cars and engines.

But she admitted that if the Chinese group - whose pullout from a planned joint venture precipitated the MG Rover crash - did control the intellectual property rights then it would significantly "restrict" the administrators' ability to deal with interested buyers.

Administrators from PricewaterhouseCoopers were continuing yesterday to study MG Rover's books to assess whether the firm can be saved.

Finding out which assets have already been sold to SAIC under a £67 million deal last year is the priority.

If it is confirmed that SAIC holds the intellectual property rights to the Rover 25, the 75 and the K series engine then it already has the technology to build Rover cars in China.

Joint administrator Ian Powell was quoted as saying: "The situation is under review by the lawyers at the moment. "The indications are that they (SAIC) currently own the intellectual property rights to the Rover 25, the 75 and the K series and some L series engines."

However sources close to Rover claim the Chinese only have the assets for use in China and nowhere else.

MG Rover does not even own its own name.

BMW owns the Rover name having allowed MG Rover to use it under licence free of charge.

The MG name is owned by MG Rover.

It has been suggested that an MG operation, perhaps employing up to 1,000 people and producing about 50,000 cars a year may prove the only thing left viable from the crash.

The land was sold to St Modwen on a sale and leaseback deal for £57.5 million and the parts business went to Caterpillar for £100 million.

BMW has indicated it would not stand in the way of anyone making a genuine attempt to rescue something from the ashes.

The German company also owns Riley. Besides MG, MG Rover owns Austin, Morris, Wolseley, and has rights to use Austin Healey, albeit the Healey family also has an interest.

There remains continuing speculation in the industry that Phoenix Venture Holdings, the parent of MG Rover, will follow the troubled car manufacturer into administration.

The administrators ' spokeswoman said PVH had not called in the administrators as yet.

But Mr Powell revealed Phoenix's directors had told him that they were actively "considering the solvency of Phoenix".