Speaking to reporters during a visit to the town of Termini Imerese in Sicily, the site of a former Fiat Group vehicle production plant, Renzi said that the government had established contacts with Brilliance during a recent visit to China.

"They expressed a desire and they formalized a request, black on white, to open a structure in Italy," Renzi said Thursday. "It's clear that it needs to be seen whether they follow it up and whether they want to do it at Termini Imerese."

Renzi is trying to encourage foreign investment in Italy, which has struggled in recent years during a long economic slump.

Data last week showed that Italy fell back into recession in the second quarter, when gross domestic product dipped 0.2 percent, posting the 11th drop in the last 12 quarters.

Brilliance China, headquartered in the northeast China city of Shenyang, makes Brillance-brand sedans and Jinbei-badged vans. It also has a joint venture with BMW AG in Shenyang that now builds the BMW 3-Series and 5-Series sedans as well as the X1 compact SUV.