Report: Volkswagen raises bid for Porsche

STUTTGART, Germany — Volkswagen AG has increased its offer to take a 49.9 percent stake in troubled sports car maker Porsche to more than euro4 billion ($5.56 billion), according to a media report Saturday.

German weekly Der Spiegel reported the latest VW offer reflected an increase of roughly euro1 billion ($1.39 billion), as compared to a previous bid that was rejected by Stuttgart-based Porsche.

Neither car maker would comment on the report.

Porsche has been in talks with a Qatar investment fund that has offered to buy a stake in the sports car maker, which racked up some euro9 billion in debts acquired by trying to swallow the much larger VW before the global economic crisis set in. Porsche holds a 51-percent stake in VW.

On Friday, Porsche confirmed its supervisory board will hold an extraordinary meeting July 23.