Car expert Dudenhöffer warns against reorganization course: “Opel degenerates into a PSA shell”

05/26/2018

Car expert Dudenhöffer warns against redevelopment course “Opel degenerates into a PSA shell”

DPA

Thuringia, Eisenach: In April, employees of various Opel plants demonstrated against the remediation course

The car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer sees the future of the car manufacturer Opel darker and darker. The sales figures of the French PSA Show stock market chartIn Germany and Europe, the company’s brand name has plummeted, making it almost impossible to invest in independent models, says the director of the Car-Institute at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The great nervousness at IG Metall, Works Council and the policy on the adopted restructuring course is therefore understandable.

“PSA boss Tavares seems to be ready to make Opel profitable with many” golden handshakes “Opel thus degenerates to a PSA shell,” writes Dudenhöffer in an analysis of recent sales figures. The Eisenach and Kaiserslautern plants and the headquarters in Rüsselsheim to the present extent would not be needed for such a business model. The car expert is thus the trade union criticism of the comprehensive severance programs owns, which fears a clear cut in the German plants with about 19,000 employees.

The development competencies promised by the PSA Group were not sufficient for a utilization of the Rüsselsheim development center with more than 7,000 engineers, criticized Dudenhöffer on. Light commercial vehicles would be derived from classic passenger car platforms, and the fuel cell sold to Opel’s headquarters would barely play a role for years to come.

The new, developed on PSA platforms SUV models Crossland and Grandland would have achieved only very limited sales success, described Dudenhöffer. On the German market, the sold under the direction of the former owner General Motors Show stock market chart developed cars better. Opel also had to support the new models with about 40 percent self-registrations, which reduces the profit per car. Excluding this effect, Opel will achieve a “true” market share of less than 5 percent in Germany next year. Currently, the brand is with the flash at 6.5 percent.

PSA had taken over Opel last August from General Motors and later operational layoffs and plant closures locked out. Next week, the 16th meeting of the internal settlement office will take place with the works council dominated by the IG Metall. The union demands from the Opel management reliable plans for production and personnel at the five German locations in Rüsselsheim, Eisenach, Kaiserslautern, Dudenhofen and Bochum. PSA has pledged investments in case the locations proved competitive.

Christian Ebner, dpa

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