MAGNA to buy OPEL

[grober]

Magna are to buy Opel from General Motors with Russian money?? who will now take Chapter 11 a soon as this weekend. BBC NEWS | Business | Magna is 'very close' to GM deal

 

[grober]

More details

Some more details of the proposed deal here. It doesn't look good for Vauxhall.
FACTBOX: Key elements of Magna-led takeover of Opel | Deals | Reuters

 

[wemorgan]

Is it innapropriate to mention that German industrial output is only so strong as the British Government saved it being decommisioned after WW2?

Has too much time past for us to call upon a favour to the German Government?

 

[grober]

Running on GAZ??

The official line is that it's down to MAGNA to make the commercial decisions about company restructuring. Vauxhalls only hope is that the UK represents a considerable slice of OPEL'S current market external to Germany. Perhaps with the participation of GAZ tho their eye's are turning to the new more exploitable former Soviet block markets?

 

[Mr E]

In reality Vauxhall has only run as a brand for a number of years. The plants - wherever they are located - produce vehicles badged as both Opel and Vauxhall.

Losing the brand structure would be the most sensible thing. Elsmere Port would only be at risk if the bottom fell out of Astra production. Luton's car production went with a wimper in 2002, so I imagine that the only risk outside of Griffen House would be van production.

 

[grober]

In reality Vauxhall has only run as a brand for a number of years. The plants - wherever they are located - produce vehicles badged as both Opel and Vauxhall.

Losing the brand structure would be the most sensible thing. Elsmere Port would only be at risk if the bottom fell out of Astra production. Luton's car production went with a wimper in 2002, so I imagine that the only risk outside of Griffen House would be van production.

I tend to agree with you about dropping the VAUXHALL name and branding everything as OPEL with its implicit "German engineering" tag but the Vauxhall brand must have had some "brand loyality" benefits for GM to retain it for so long? Maybe everything will become MAGNAS but I'm pretty sure GAZ won't figure too highly except maybe on the commercial vehicle side.