It’s no secret that General Motors has been attempting to shed its German unit, Opel, for quite some time in order to raise capital. News comes today from the German state of North Rhine-Westfalia that the region’s labor unions have entered into discussions with Abu Dhabi over a potential investment from the Middle Eastern emirate.
Rainer Einenkel, head of the works council at Opel’s Bochum, Germany, plant (located in North Rhine-Westfalia), told Reuters that there were a number of investors looking at the German automaker and that North Rhine-Westfalia and Abu Dhabi have discussed an infusement of capital in exchange for shares in Opel.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Westdeutschen Allgemeinen Zeitung newspaper reports that Juergen Ruettgers, North Rhine-Westfalia’s prime minister, met with a high-ranking member of the emirate’s royal family.
Opel has struggled to gain interest from potential investors; many of the likely European auto industry candidates, including BMW , Daimler and PSA Peugeot-Citroen have already stressed that they are not seeking to acquire the unit, and Fiat is tied up in the pending merger with Chrysler .
