If Opel’s really planning to take market share away from Volkswagen, then they’d better pack a lunch because it’ll be a LONG day.  Volkswagen has plans on the board to introduce TWO new models, the former chief executive of Volkswagen said while at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

This is already significant enough news in the face of a badly contracted economy–introducing new models is a cash-intensive process that requires loads of money and plenty of time and advertising, as well as focus groups, design and redesign and all like that.

But the new designs themselves may be the newest part, as they’re going to come out of the upcoming acquisition of Porsche.

Now that’s got my motor running–what if we get a car that looks like a Porsche with the gas mileage of a Volkswagen?  That’d be a dream car right there, and one everybody else would be scrambling to imitate.

Tags: Frankfurt Auto Show, Opel, Porsche, volkswagen

Is it just me, or does the upcoming word out of the Frankfurt Auto Show look like a bad soap opera?  Seriously–this is nuts.  One of the biggest such tidbits is how Opel is revamping the Astra line to pit it against Volkswagen.

No, seriously–considering that Opel is in the tank anyway because of its GM connections, and the further fact that it’s surviving on a massive loan from the German government, it’s probably not a good idea for it to go after the iconic German automobile that is Volkswagen.

It’s especially worse given the rest of the hurdles that Opel will be operating under.  They can only sell their cars in certain countries, their connection to GM is hampering their local operations, there’s that whole “surviving on a giant loan” thing, the boost from the European version of cash for clunkers is SHOT…frankly, this is just bad for Opel all the way around.

Tags: Cash for Clunkers, Frankfort Auto Show, GM, government loan, Opel, volkswagen

Okay, we’re all looking for some really big news to bust out of the Frankfurt Auto Show, so let’s sail right into the news we’re expecting to hear:

Mercedes-Benz plans to show a hydrogen-powered fuel cell version of the B-class.  It’s the first such production car to offer this, and the first two hundred will be available for purchase in early 2010.

Toyota is presenting an electric plug-in version of the Prius, as we’ve already mentioned here.

Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are all out of the show, citing cost containment measures.

General Motors / Opel  is showing the new Astra compact..

Renault, a name you don’t hear often, will be showing the Megane and some new electric concept vehicles.

And of course, there’s lots more news afoot, but from the sounds of things, the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show is going to be a doozy of a show, with plenty to see and do and talk about.

Tags: Frankfort Auto Show, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Prius, Renault, Toyota

The board of General Motors will start convening on the fate of the embattled German unit Opel, an issue that has been unsettled to this day. Though many critics speculated that GM would retain Opel despite that various bidders for the company, nothing clear has been seen on what the actual route Opel will really take.

The board meeting is slated for two days as the board meeting aims to tackle this German unit which employs over 25,000 people in Germany alone. Among the bidders who showed interest in acquiring Opel included Magna International Inc. and Russian state-backed bank Sberbank. A third bidder in RHJ International of Brussels is also in the mix although it has shared that it will not be keeping as many employees if it does acquire Opel.

(Source) Metro News

Tags: bidders, board meeting, brussels, General Motors, german unit, Germany, GM, magna international, magna international inc, metro news, Opel, rhj international, russian state

General Motors is busy looking for buyers for their German subsidiary Opel and it looks like it will take some more time before they find a worthy buyer. GM is reportedly against the inclusion of Russians to take over the Opel brand which has so far raised some eyebrows which include that of technology takeover.

For the record, Berlin favors Magna and GAZ, the Russian state-owned car builder, and Sberbank to succeed the Opel brand. And this was said to be one reason why the Magna bid was turned down although GM had openly denied it had a hand on this. The plot for the future of the Opel brand continues to be befuddling but from the looks of it, there may be a chance that GM is playing possum and probably hold on to the Opel brand. That is if rumors hold true!

(Source) AFP

Tags: berlin, car builder, eyebrows, gaz, General Motors, german subsidiary, GM, inclusion, magna, Opel, playing possum, russian state, russians, sberbank, takeover, true source

Back in June we were met with reports of GM eyeing potential buyers for their Opel brand. Now, reports have begun circulating that GM is considering keeping the brand, but not without proper funding.

In fact, GM says they will need to raise $4.3 billion if they plan to keep Opel, something that seems unlikely to happen considering they only just came out of bankruptcy.

Of course, this doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of the automaker selling off Opel however what will actually happen remains a mystery. We’ll have to wait and find out.

via wcf

Tags: economy, funding, GM, Opel, recession