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Bob Lutz, New Opel Chairman?

GM Europe's Carl-Peter Forster announced his decision to quit Opel and the US-based parent company is already searching suitable executives that could take his position and serve as chairman. According to a report by Reuters, Bob Lutz, currently a GM executive, is now in pole-position to snatch this role. GM, however, refused to comment on the matter and prepares to start negotiations with Opel unions.

A Swiss newspaper published during the weekend an interview with Lutz in which the GM executives says that Opel will most likely go through a 30 percent cost cut but he still hasn't mentioned how many jobs the US manufacturer intends to eliminate across Europe. Preliminary figures pointed that 10,000 employees are at risk.

"The restructuring plan developed at the end of last year is still the basis for a profitable business model. The plan foresees a 30 percent cut in structural costs,"
Lutz told the Sonntag. "We will now analyze the current situation carefully and propose relevant measures. We don't expect any fundamental differences to the models discussed so far."

Furthermore, Lutz emphasized that the main reason for GM keeping Opel and cancel the sale to Magna is the current business environment which is already showing signs of recovery. Lutz revealed that GM expects to see a boost in Europe as well so it will soon start Opel's 3 billion euro restructuring process.

"We are all rather optimistic at the moment and see small signs of a mild recovery. There could be a slight recovery toward the end of the year, which would hopefully continue in 2010 and 2011,"
he said.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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