The governor of the German state of North Rhine Westphalia, Juergen Ruettgers, said Monday that a decision on the three bids for General Motors Corp.'s (GM) local unit, Adam Opel AG, is expected by the middle of the week.

"I am optimistic that we won't see an insolvency...as we are in the situation where we have ... competing offers," Ruettgers told reporters in Berlin.

Austrian-Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc. (MGA) appears to be the frontrunner for Opel. Italian automaker Fiat SpA (F.MI) has launched a rival bid for Opel, as well as RHJ International (RHJI.BT), a European buyout firm of investor U.S. Ripplewood with holdings in the auto-parts industry.

Company Web site: www.opel.com

-By Andrea Thomas and Christoph Rauwald, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 30 2888 4126; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com