General Motors Corp.'s (GM) German Opel unit Friday said that market conditions have deteriorated dramatically since it asked for state aid in November, implying that it needs significantly higher guarantees than anticipated at the time.

Armin Schild, a supervisory board member at Opel, told Dow Jones Newswires Friday that the company needs at least EUR3.3 billion in capital to survive and become less dependent on GM.

GM's largest European brand didn't provide financial details.

"It's the clear responsibility of Opel's management to paint a realistic picture and consider the change on European markets when asking for guarantees from the state," Opel said in a statement.

German Economics Ministry spokesman Steffen Moritz said Germany hasn't received any formal request for financial aid from Opel. However, he added that Germany is waiting for the company to present its restructuring plan.

Opel said in its statement that the sharp fall in car sales on major European markets in recent months was "unforeseeable" in November, adding that unfavorable currency fluctuations of the euro compared to the British pound and the Russian ruble added fuel to the fire.

GM's troubled Swedish Saab brand Friday applied for creditor protection so that it can be reorganized, and said it will seek to become fully independent from GM.

To accomplish this, Saab said it will look for fresh funding from private and public sources.

The woes embroiling GM's European brands come at a time when the parent company itself is seeking additional state aid in the U.S. to stave off bankruptcy.

GM Tuesday said it is counting on $6 billion in financial support from foreign governments and could potentially need billions more from the U.S. government in coming years to cover pension obligations, even if it gets the additional aid it requests.

 
   Company Web site: www.gm.com 
 
   -By Christoph Rauwald, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29 725 512; christoph.rauwald@dowjones.com

(Andrea Thomas and Ola Kinnander contributed to this report.)