Word: opels
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After weeks of twists and turns in the battle for control of General Motors' European unit Opel, the U.S. car giant finally made up its mind Thursday and decided to sell a majority stake to a bid headed by Canadian car-parts firm Magna, albeit with strings attached. The deal came as something of a surprise; over the past few days there has been feverish speculation in Berlin that GM had decided to hang onto Opel in Germany as well as its Vauxhall brand...
...German government officials were left in the dark over GM's intentions until the very last minute. One government official said he had "no idea" what GM had decided, and union leaders were still claiming GM wanted to keep Opel and Vauxhall. (See the 50 worst cars of all time...
...Fritz Henderson phoned Chancellor Angela Merkel's office Thursday to seal the deal. The decision to sell Opel and Vauxhall to Magna is a coup for Merkel who has staked her credibility on the bid, a joint offer from the Canadian car-parts manufacturer and Russia's state-owned Sberbank. Since May, Merkel and the German government have thrown their weight behind Magna's offer, arguing that Magna already had extensive experience in building autos. Berlin also likes the fact that the Magna bid will keep open Opel's four factories in Germany, thus saving more jobs there than rival...
...Merkel's government announced it would bankroll the Magna bid in May, pledging $2.1 billion as a bridge loan to keep Opel afloat, as well as $4 billion in future loan guarantees. The German government also made it clear it wouldn't stump cash for any other bidder. Some politicians accused Merkel of "blackmail" and warned that her government's support for Magna could backfire. Initially, GM had serious reservations about Magna's offer and seemed to favor a rival bid by the Belgian-based investor, RHJ International. One GM official said RHJ's offer was "simple and elegant...
...With Germany's federal election on Sept. 27 looming, GM's decision provides a huge boost for Merkel, whose conservative Christian Democrats are already well ahead in the opinion polls. Opel employs 25,000 workers in Germany - around half of GM Europe's total workforce. German unions threatened mass demonstrations if GM decided to keep Opel, fearing that option would lead to thousands of job losses in Germany. With the green light for Magna, Merkel has received an important psychological boost and can now tell voters on the campaign trail that she managed to save German jobs...