GM assured no sale talks to Opel

FRANKFURT: General Motors Chief Executive Daniel Akerson assured the CEO of Opel that the US carmaker was not in talks to sell the European arm to a rival, a German newspaper reported.

Akerson spoke with Karl-Friedrich Stracke on the telephone, Handelsblatt daily reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

German media reported last week that GM was considering putting Opel back up for sale and both Europe's biggest carmaker Volkswagen and China's Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC) were named as possible buyers.

GM has so far not commented on the reports, despite calls from labour representatives and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make a public statement on the future of Opel.

People familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday that GM Chief Executive Daniel Akerson was frustrated with Opel's inability to return to profitability, and was reviewing options for the European unit.

COPYRIGHT REUTERS, 2011