FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - General Motors Corp is close to launching a premium Opel brand in Europe, said Carl-Peter Forster, head of GM Europe, in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
'There are always several milestones in such car development, which have already fallen, and we are now in the phase of refining the concepts,' he said.
'We are determined to offer Opel customers a car above the (mid-range model) Vectra.'
Forster declined to comment on whether the car will feature rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
'But let me assure you there are always enough possibilities in the Opel family.'
Turning to existing models, Forster said Opel's main plant in Ruesselsheim, Germany, will build the next generation Vectra in 2008 as well as affiliated brand Saab's 9-3 and 9-5 models, which are based on the same platform.
To ensure the plant works at capacity, the company may also build cars there for export, he said. maria.sheahan@thomson.com mas/vs COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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