The fate of Pontiac was sealed earlier on Monday but General Motors won’t make a decision on its Opel/Vauxhall brands until sometime next month. GM is currently in talks with several Opel/Vauxhall suitors, but won’t make a decision on the matter until May at the earliest.
At a press conference held in Detroit on Monday, GM CEO Fritz Henderson revealed talks are ongoing for the European brands, but no decisions have been made. “These discussions continue as we speak through April and will continue into early May,” Henderson said.
It was revealed last week that Fiat and Canada’s Magna International are among the Opel/Vauxhall suitors, but it remains to be seen if there is a clear frontrunner. At least one Chinese firm is also involved in the bidding process.
Although GM will be selling a majority stake in its Opel/Vauxhall brands, Henderson said the company won’t be completely cutting all ties. GM plans to still lean on the European automakers for powertrain and platform development.
Henderson added he is confident Chevrolet will be capable of picking up the slack left by the departure of Opel and Vauxhall, GM’s two most well-established European brands.
04/27, 4:04 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
Huh? Does he mean Chevrolet will be sold in Europe or pick up it’s slack in the US?
If he thinks Chevy will sell well in Europe…. HAHAHA!!!! He’s a funny guy.
04/27, 4:16 PM
posted by:
Borat
What does it mean “GM won’t decide”? What department in US government in in charge of making that decision? Treasury, DoD, Education, Health?
04/27, 4:23 PM
posted by:
carstuff
More misinformed people here. Chevrolet is fastest growing marque in Europe. Also growing fast in Russia. Chevrolet volume is going up while most everyone else is going down.
“Despite the downturn in the European market in the second half of 2008, Chevrolet sold over 507,000 cars, reaching a historic milestone and setting a new market share record of 2.3 percent.
Sales in 2008 were up 11 percent from the previous year’s record sales, and market share increased by 0.3 percentage points over 2008.
The Russian market was again very strong and with sales of 235,400 vehicles, registered an increase of 19 percent over 2007. Chevrolet has been the number one non-domestic brand in Russia since May 2007, with a market share of 7.7 percent in 2008. The brand also recorded considerable growth in Ukraine (52,300 units; +3.9 percent).
Despite a significant downturn of 13 percent of the total vehicle market in Italy and the U.K., Chevrolet sales in Italy grew slightly to 45,500 vehicle (+1 percent) and sales in the U.K. remained stable at 18,300 vehicles in 2008. Chevrolet sales in France were also up by 2.5 percent to slightly over 9,000 units in 2008, in a market that was down by 0.4 percent compared to a year ago. “
04/27, 4:36 PM
posted by:
global_lightning
Sell Opel, Vauxhall, Saab, and Saturn as a package (and throw in Hummer as a freebie). With a new management structure, these could easily form the own corporation.
04/27, 4:37 PM
posted by:
Borat
carstuff, the only Chevy I saw in Europe were crappy Daewoo misfits. The same applies to Russia. CHevy dealers don’t sell Impalas, Malibus, Blazers or Suburbans anywhere on the continent. What is sold is cheap crap and not in what was Western Europe, but rather in countries we never heard of like Bulgaria, Romania and Albania – the poorest of the poor. The biggest beneficiary of those sales are former commissars, they still collect taxes for the state and themselves. I hope that I shed some information.
04/27, 4:37 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
I can see why they want to wait. They’ve already been forced to make more decisions in the last three weeks than in the last 30 years. Well other than decisions on how to cut corners that is.
04/27, 4:39 PM
posted by:
No more oil for GM
chevy sells good in europe, especially eastern europe.. the reason? everybody knows the cars are korean cars rebranded as chevy.. earlier, when they tried to sell u.s. chevys, they sold nothing..
04/27, 4:54 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
Ok, Chevy sells well in Eastern Europe is different than selling well in Western Europe.
Anyone hear GM was thinking about selling Daewoo division? Didn’t think so.
04/27, 5:27 PM
posted by:
Borat
Jake, I will refresh your memory: in November of 2008 GM bought a factory in St. Petersburg for half a billion and then month later received 5 billions subsidy from Uncle Sam. Lenin would be proud……
04/27, 10:52 PM
posted by:
Other Man
Part of the issue with GM was in completely unnecessary spending. Why design a Malibu and Insignia when you could just have both be the same thing with brand grilles and badging? The Malibu is gorgeous for sure, but an Insignia wearing the Malibu’s grille would be no less stunning, and even so, much more cost efficient. They do that for the CDM Buick Regal, rather than designing a whole new car.
Hope they at least keep Opel.
04/28, 4:10 AM
posted by:
fan
reason for chevys sales numbers going up vs. the previous years is that chevys werent sold not too long ago in europe. so if you sell 0 units in year one, and sell 1 unit in year two, this is an increase in sales by 100% – and then, if you sell 10 cars in year three, thats an increase of 1000%. tall numbers eh?
but still, not selling too well… now, im sure chevy sells more than that in europe, but still, this is how the increase in sales can be explained…
only reason chevys sell in europe at all is, that theyre rebadged (yeeahaw!) daewoos… US spec chevys would not sell at all… they tried to do so, over and over, but finally stopped trying for good…
04/28, 7:59 AM
posted by:
carstuff
Other Man, The current Malibu is on the older EPS I platform. The Opel Insignia and 2010 Buick LaCrosse are on the newer EPS II platform.
Your thought is a good idea as the next Malibu could be based on the Insignia and with what is going on probably will be. Quite a good idea.