General Motors’ Bochum works council has welcomed GM chief executive Dan Akerson’s most forthright comments to date concerning any potential sale of Opel.

Rumours surrounding any potential disposal have circulated all summer but Akerson has reinforced views he gave at last month’s visit to the Detroit Hamtramck plant that builds the Chevrolet Volt.

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A GM spokesman in Russelsheim confirmed to just-auto Akerson said: “Opel is part of our global reach – it is not for sale – end of discussion.”

The works council welcomed Akerson’s comments as well as a suggestion Chevrolet models could be built in Europe. 

“No sale from [of] Opel and Chevrolet could be built in Europe – both of these are very good,” a Works Council spokesman in Bochum told just-auto. 

“GM needs Opel – a sale would be very stupid – 18% of European business is Opel.”

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The speculation is believed to have been started by two German publications with GM spending a large part of the summer dousing rumours concerning a potential sale.

“It should have been put to bed before,” said the GM spokesman. “He [Akerson] said that [quashed rumours] before.

“A couple of days prior to the Q2 earnings on 4 August… he said explicitly Opel was not for sale so at that time it clarified everything.”

Akerson’s stance comes after Opel CEO Nick Reilly also backed his boss’ stance recently to just-auto urging those speculating to “look at the facts,” adding: “We are ahead of the game – just look at the facts and at what GM is saying.” 

Opel posted a profit in Europe for the first quarter, while also increasing market share for the seventh month in a row on a year-on-year basis.