Four German State Prime Ministers have urged Opel production stay in Germany and that global markets be opened for its models.
The defiant show of political solidarity for beleaguered Opel comes as rumours continue to mount parent General Motors is on the verge of announcing a major restructuring of its European operations.
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Speculation has centred on Opel possibly announcing a shift of Astra production mainly to its Vauxhall plant in England, potentially threatening manufacture of the model at the Russelsheim plant.
But the Prime Minsters of North-Rhein Westphalia (Hannelore Kraft), Rheiland-Palatinate (Kurt Beck), Hesse (Volker Bouffier) and Thuringen (Christine Lieberknect) have issued a strongly-worded appeal to General Motors to keep its production in Germany.
“The statement is asking for production to stay in Germany and to open the global market for the Opel brand,” a North-Rhein Westphalia spokesman told just-auto. “They call on [Federal Economics Minister] Philipp Rosler to support the position of Opel at General Motors.
Rumours have swept Germany concerning the potential future of its Opel plants, with the issue first raised by Prime Minister Beck in the national Parliament in Berlin.
All four leaders are now calling on GM management to allow Opel brands to compete on a worldwide level: “We will not let the German sites divide apart,” said Beck in a statement emailed to just-auto from Germany, which also asked Rosler to press for such a change in export philosophy.
The issue will be high on Rosler’s agenda when all German State Economics Ministers meet at a conference at Castle Krickenbeck in North-Rhein Westphalia on 4 June.
“They [State Prime Ministers] call on the Federal Minister of Economics Philipp Rösler, to take responsibility to support the position of the German Opel States and to become familiar with GM for the opening of markets,” added the joint statement.
Part of the reason for the issue of Opel’s future powering to the top of the political agenda may lie in yesterday’s regional elections in North-Rhein Westphalia – Germany’s most densley-populated State and in which the massive Bochum plant lies.
Reports indicate Prime Minister Kraft’s Social Democrats party (SPD) secured 39.1% of the vote compared to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU) managing just 26.3%.
This, coupled with huge strikes by Germany’s immensley powerful IG Metall union last week demanding an improved agency worker environment and a pay rise of 6.5%, have led to a febrile auto atmosphere as GM potentially gears up for a major announcement concerning its European division’s future.
