Fiat SpA (F.MI) Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said Tuesday that following meetings with several German politicians, the company has dispelled a lot of misapprehensions about its bid for General Motors Corp.'s (GM) German Adam Opel GmbH unit, reiterating that a merger between the two European automakers would create benefits for their operating businesses.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Marchionne said Fiat lowered the demand for state guarantees to EUR6 billion from previously EUR7 billion in case of a deal with Opel.

Company Web site: www.fiat.com

-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49-30-288-8410; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com