The head of General Motors’ European Operations, Carl-Peter Forster, quit last week after the company announced that it would keep its European unit, Opel, instead of selling it. After months of negotiations with Canada-based Magna International, GM finally announced that it would restructure Opel on its own instead of selling it to Magna. The announcement led to widespread protests in Germany, where it was felt that a take-over by Magna was the best course forward for Opel, and that the move would help save jobs.
The reorganization of Opel will be looked after by Nick Reilly, head of GM’s international operations. The Supervisory Board of Opel will be headed by Bob Lutz, who took over GM’s global marketing division earlier this year. Meanwhile, Fritz Henderson, GM Chief Executive, said in a statement that the company was looking for a replacement for Forster, and that there would be no other changes in management.
