State Governor Beck Skeptical About Fiat's Opel Takeover
08 Mai 2009 - 3:11PM
Dow Jones News
The governor of Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate state Kurt Beck
said Friday he is skeptical about plans by Fiat SpA (F.MI) to take
over General Motors Corp.'s (GM) German unit Adam Opel AG.
Beck made the remarks after meeting with Fiat Chief Executive
Sergio Marchionne earlier Friday.
"From a German view, and from the view of Rhineland-Palatinate,
questions about the plan loom even larger after the discussion,"
Beck said.
"The state government has deep concern about a plan which
doesn't include the independent production of engines in Germany,"
Beck added, with a view to Fiat's plan to close motor component
production in Kaiserslautern. Beck said his government supports all
four of Opel's German sites.
The state government will review all other offers the same way,
hoping to make a decision as soon as possible, Beck said.
Separately, news agency ddp reported Marchionne saying he hopes
for a decision on the purchase of Adam Opel AG by the end of this
month.
"I hope that we're in a position to find a solution before U.S.
President Barack Obama's deadline," he added.
Obama has given Opel parent company GM a deadline of June 1 to
come up with a restructuring plan.
Discussions with Hesse state governor Roland Koch and Governor
Beck went well, Marchionne added, according to the report.
-By Katharina Becker, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 (0)69 29725 112;
katharina.becker@dowjones.com