LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) - ZF Friedrichshafen has hired banks to explore a sale or initial public offering of its passenger safety unit, two people familiar with the matter said.

The German group has lined up BNP Paribas, Citi and Goldman Sachs to advise it on the options, the people said.

The company said it was assessing "all options" since it announced in October 2022 a plan to make the business independent. (Reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr, Pablo Mayo and Ilona Wissenbach. Editing by Anousha Sakoui)