Peugeot's CEO Held 'Fruitful' Meeting on Opel With Germany's Merkel
February 21 2017 - 10:32AM
Dow Jones News
By Nick Kostov
PARIS--The chief executive of French auto maker Peugeot (UG.FR),
Carlos Tavares, had a constructive 35-minute meeting with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday to discuss the possible
takeover of Germany-based rival Opel from its parent General Motors
Co. (GM), according to the company.
The discussions were "fruitful," Peugeot said.
Mr. Tavares presented Ms Merkel with his rationale for the
creation of a leading European auto manufacturer by bringing
together the French company's Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands with
the Opel brand and its U.K. counterpart Vauxhall, both owned by GM,
Peugeot said.
At the meeting, Mr. Tavares committed himself to dialogue with
all parties to enhance Opel's performance and protect the future of
the company and its employees, a promise that comes as European
politicians and union leaders have expressed fears that the
proposed combination could put jobs at the unprofitable Opel and
Vauxhall at risk.
Peugeot and GM confirmed last week that they were in talks on
"numerous strategic initiatives," including the possible sale of
Opel to Peugeot. The companies cautioned that there was no
guarantee that an agreement, which would create Europe's second
largest auto maker by sales behind Volkswagen AG, would be
reached.
-Write to Nick Kostov at nick.kostov@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 21, 2017 10:17 ET (15:17 GMT)
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