First of all, Magna International recently sealed a deal with the German government to takeover Opel together with Russian investors. Just after that, the Canadian - Austrian parts manufacturer announced all kind of enthusiastic plans regarding the future of Opel, revealing that it intends to produce and sell cars in both Canada and Russia, but outside the US and China as the deal restricts Magna from stepping into these two markets.
Anyway, Magna also said that it would upgrade Opel's product range a little bit, which is obviously the logical course of actions since it is now the owner of the German brand. But Volkswagen is afraid that such a thing might affect its own business, according to a report by Autonews.
Specifically, Magna International is a major supplier for Volkswagen and the brands it owns, while Opel is one of the main rivals in both Germany and outside. This means that by helping Opel with certain technologies, the company's sales could be boosted and at the same time influence Volkswagen's own operations.
"Volkswagen will monitor this development very closely," spokesman Michael Brendel was quoted as saying by gasgoo.com. "Tax money has been used to a large extent for Opel's rescue. We hope that through this a sustainable and successful result will be achieved effectively."
Magna hasn't commented on the report so far but we should expect an official statement very soon as the Canadian - Austrian company struggles to finalize the Opel deal.
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