The Swiss Quantum Group announced on Wednesday that it wants to take over the sports car manufacturer and seek a strategic partnership with the Volkswagen Group.

According to reports in the German magazines Autocar and Automobilwoche, the group, together with the London-based financial investor Centricus, is offering 7.5 billion euros (9.1 billion dollars).

Quantum wants to give the 1,800 employees a five-year employment guarantee.

An Audi spokeswoman said on Wednesday: “We have no offer and Lamborghini is not for sale.” She also said there was no discussion of this within the group.

Lamborghini sold 7,430 expensive SUVs and sports cars last year, earning 1.6 billion euros. The brand made an “important contribution to the profitability” of Audi, it said.

Lamborghini is working on an e-car with wheel hub motors and nano energy storage units that integrate into the body. Instead of heavy batteries, supercapacitors are to supply the power.

According to the statement, Quantum wants to make Lamborghini a “spearhead for innovation” by implementing clean drive technologies.

Quantum CEO Rea Stark had founded the electric sports car brand Piech Automotive with Anton Piech, the son of former VW patriarch Ferdinand Piech.

There is constant speculation about the future of luxury brands such as Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley or the motorbike manufacturer Ducati within the VW Group.

The group includes Skoda and Seat as well as Porsche and the truck manufacturers MAN and Scania. VW has merged these into the commercial vehicle holding company Traton and floated 10 per cent of the shares on the stock exchange.