General Motors expects the governments of Spain, UK and Poland to provide about EUR1bn (US$1.4bn) in aid to help restructure Opel-Vauxhall operations, a person familiar with the matter has told Dow Jones.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more


GM is also said to be willing to put some of its own money into restructuring Opel. The German government has already provided a loan to keep the European operations afloat and offered to fund a sale of a majority stake in the division to a group led by parts maker and contract assembler Magna International.


GM would prefer to sell an Opel majority stake to private equity firm RHJ International but the German government has so far not supported such a deal. GM’s board is scheduled to discuss Opel next week. Chief executive Fritz Henderson plans to brief individual directors on Opel before the meeting, Dow Jones was told.


Last month Henderson proposed accepting Magna’s offer for Opel, but the board told him and his management team it wanted to consider alternatives such as a deal with RHJ. Other options include GM keeping Opel, or having the unit file for insolvency.


The German government reiterated on Wednesday its preference for a sale to Magna. The Canadian-Austrian parts supplier is backed by Russian bank OAO Sberbank and Russian automaker, OAO GAZ.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Although most of Opel’s operations are located in Germany, it also has plants in Spain, Britain and Poland. There is concern in these countries that a restructuring financed primarily by Germany would focus on saving German jobs at the expense of those elsewhere in Europe.