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Opel cars built in Germany could be exported to the U.S., says General Motors Vice Chairman Robert Lutz. He said GM is interested in producing similar Saturn and Opel models in either Europe or North America and shipping both ways across the Atlantic. Saturn and Opel both are GM-owned brands.
“It’s certainly something we would want to seriously consider,” Lutz told Automotive News Europe during a press event here. Although he gave no specific timetable, Lutz said production sharing could increase as the Saturn and Opel lineups become almost identical. “Once we get the Saturn product completely aligned with the Opel product and they are fundamentally the same,” Lutz said, “then we absolutely have the possibility of doing some models in the US and shipping them to Europe and doing other models in Europe and shipping them to the US. Now you get sourcing flexibility.” GM already is building Opel’s new GT roadster in the US in Wilmington, Delaware, next to its sister car, the Saturn Sky. Future Saturns have been developed using Opel’s engineering and design staff in Russelsheim, near Frankfurt, Germany. Opel also is the GM global development center for GM’s next range of small- and mid-sized cars. Workers’ representatives in Germany have been pressuring GM to export Opel cars to the US to secure jobs and fill under-used capacity in German factories. GM “should take advantage of the global size of the company and sell modern Opels in the US under the badge of Saturn,” Klaus Franz, chairman of Opel’s works council told Automobilwoche, ANE’s sister publication, in December. In the future, Lutz said, Saturn vehicles derived from Opels would only need minor bumper changes to meet US regulations. He called them “invisible compliance parts.” |
