German economy minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said today the government expected the board of General Motors to make a "fundamental decision" on the future of Opel next week.
Speaking on German ARD television, Mr Guttenberg said there were offers for Opel which were ready to be signed and that it was time for its US parent to "give in".
"We're still negotiating towards an investor solution - that is an industry-based plan which will be valid in the longer term," he said, suggesting Berlin did not expect Opel to stay with GM, a possibility that has recently gained currency.
The German government has been pushing GM to accept a bid for Opel by Canadian auto parts group Magna, though Belgian-based investor RHJ is also in the running.
In comments published yesterday, the head of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, told a newspaper he believed Magna was most likely to win a bidding battle for Opel, but that the carmaker could also thrive under the ownership of its US parent.
"The greatest probability would be, for me, Magna, since all prerequisites are fulfilled, the contracts have been negotiated to their conclusion, and the financing is there," he told Germany's
Die Welt.
However, company sources said Mr Forster - whom Magna has requested to stay on to run Opel should it win the deal - was not speaking for management, where hardliners gathered around senior executives such as Bob Lutz and Tom Stephens favoured either a rival bid from RHJ or increasingly no sale at all.
Opel, which employs around 25,000 in Germany, has been on the political agenda for months.
In an interview published today, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she still expected Opel to be hived off from GM.
"We have no indication that GM is moving away from an investor-based solution," Ms Merkel told the
Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitungdaily.
Opel's senior labour leader, Klaus Franz, yesterday threatened General Motors that his workforce would not pitch in to reduce around $1.2 billion in costs if Detroit retains control of the European unit.
Reuters