Gasgoo.com (Shanghai May 22) - In his recently announced ten point business plan, Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke emphasized the importance of parent company GM's Chinese operations in helping the manufacturer return to profitability. Part of his plan involves GM transferring production responsibilities for Chevrolets from its Shanghai GM joint venture to Opel's European factories, in order to ensure their continued operation. In a statement reported by the Beijing Morning Post today, GM China has essentially denied any possibility of such a move happening.
In its official statement, Shanghai GM commented that the Chevy New Sails (pictured above) it manufactures are intended for Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Algeria, Libya, Iraq, Angola, Laos and other countries. Western and Central European Chevys, meanwhile, come from the manufacturer's US, Canadian and Korean factories. The statement emphasized that there has been no decision to sell Chinese-made Chevys to Europe, with the implicit message being that it would be unreasonable and unpractical for their production to shift from Shanghai GM to Opel.
Opel has been a thorn in GM's side for quite some time now, failing to bring in profits for over a decade. Although GM finally returned to form last year as the world's best selling manufacturer, the majority of its 9.02 million sales came from China and the US. The European market, meanwhile, continued to perform below expectations.
Several analysts believe that GM's continued marginalization of the Opel brand has been one of the major factors behind its poor performance. In their eyes, GM's refusal to let Opel significantly expand beyond the very limited European market has prevented the brand from finding new sources of revenue. A prime example of this occurred at last month's Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, where GM CEO Dan Akerson confirmed plans to domestically manufacture Cadillacs in China, while mentioning that plans to produce Opels in the country had long been abandoned.
Opel currently possesses a total of 23 dealers and 31 aftermarket service centers in the Chinese mainland. The manufacturer currently exports the Antara, Zafira and Astra (pictured below) to China. Its total sales last year were around 5,000 units. According to GM China President Kevin E. Wale, Opel's Chinese sales this year are expected to grow ten percent. Mr. Wale also emphasized that there were no plans to manufacture Opel vehicles in China.
