A deal between Fairfax Automotive and a consortium of lenders that includes private equity firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers could be the most significant of a series of deals involving the global auto industry.

The consortium includes Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Barclays Plc and UBS AG.

A deal to buy the entire Fairfax group would require approval from the Federal Reserve, which has not given a clear indication that it is interested in such a deal.

A Bloomberg News analysis of financial records showed that the group had more than $1 billion in cash and stock.

The $2.7 billion sale of Fairfax Automotive would represent the largest U.S. private equity investment in a single auto company, a group that includes the largest automakers in the U.K., France, Germany and the U