Frankfurt: The Emir of Qatar plans to buy a stake in Porsche, possibly shoring up the German sports-car maker's strained finances, a German magazine reported.

The Emir has informed Porsche of his interest, Focus magazine reported in an excerpt of an article to be published on Monday.

Porsche declined to comment. Officials in Qatar were not immediately available for comment.

Qatar's investment could help Porsche redeem a 3.3 billion euro ($16 billion) credit tranche that is due in one year, the magazine said.

While Porsche can currently pay interest payments out of its operating cash flow, it is looking for a solution on how to refinance the redemption of the tranche, Focus cited a person familiar with the matter as saying.

German magazine Der Spiegel said last month Qatar planed to invest in the German automotive industry, citing an interview with the Emir, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Porsche is seeking to raise an additional 2.5 billion euros in the syndicated loan market.