mikeyb
03-13-2006, 03:55 PM
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) may build the next generation Astra compact at its Swedish Saab unit, according to the Monday edition of Automobilwoche, increasing the pressure on its high-wage Opel plant in Bochum, Germany.
"Saab also has good chances to manufacture the next Astra generation," the publication quoted Carl-Peter Forster, the U.S. automaker's head of European operations, as saying, adding that the Trollhattan assembly plant was "super-productive."
The decision on where to build the revamped Astra starting in 2010 will be made by early next year at the latest, the report said.
The bulk of Astra production is centered in its Belgian plant in Antwerp with over 250,000 cars last year, but GM also builds nearly 190,000 units of the popular compact model in Ellesmere Port in the UK.
Should production also be allocated to Trollhattan, then GM could very well decide to cease building the Astra in Bochum, where only 71,300 Astras rolled off the assembly line in 2005.
German workers in Bochum staged a brief wildcat strike in October 2004 after GM Europe announced plans to slash its European work force by nearly a fifth as a way to lop off 500 million euros ($596 million) a year in fixed costs.
Opel chief Hans Demant said in an interview early this month with the FT Deutschland that the company "probably did not cut deep enough" at the time, adding that "with the current planning it looks like we need less plants in the future."
Bochum is often been considered as a candidate for closure.
Saab brand chief Jan-Ake Jonsson was quoted in Automobilwoche as saying manufacturing costs are roughly 25 percent lower in Trollhattan compared to German plants, and that it increased its productivity by 15 percent last year.
"And we want to improve it this year again by a double-digit rate," he said.
GLOBAL DIESEL OFFENSIVE.
Separately, the trade publication also reported that GM is planning a global diesel offensive starting in 2008 that would include launching new diesel engines in the United States, where the technology has found few fans compared to Europe.
"We are developing right now two highly modern diesel motors that won't just fulfil the Euro-5 emission standards, but (also) the more stringent Bin-5 regulations in the USA," an unidentified GM manager told Automobilwoche.
It plans to introduce a 2.9 liter V6 and a 4.5 liter V8 that will gradually be used in almost all sport utility vehicles, pick-ups and large sedans in all GM brands and all markets.
Should the biggest U.S.-based carmaker roll out models with diesel engines on a large scale in the United States, then German carmakers that have specialized in the more fuel-efficient powertrain technology may be able to make greater inroads into the local market.
source:http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-03-12T200543Z_01_L12769108_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-AUTOS-GM-EUROPE-DC.XML
"Saab also has good chances to manufacture the next Astra generation," the publication quoted Carl-Peter Forster, the U.S. automaker's head of European operations, as saying, adding that the Trollhattan assembly plant was "super-productive."
The decision on where to build the revamped Astra starting in 2010 will be made by early next year at the latest, the report said.
The bulk of Astra production is centered in its Belgian plant in Antwerp with over 250,000 cars last year, but GM also builds nearly 190,000 units of the popular compact model in Ellesmere Port in the UK.
Should production also be allocated to Trollhattan, then GM could very well decide to cease building the Astra in Bochum, where only 71,300 Astras rolled off the assembly line in 2005.
German workers in Bochum staged a brief wildcat strike in October 2004 after GM Europe announced plans to slash its European work force by nearly a fifth as a way to lop off 500 million euros ($596 million) a year in fixed costs.
Opel chief Hans Demant said in an interview early this month with the FT Deutschland that the company "probably did not cut deep enough" at the time, adding that "with the current planning it looks like we need less plants in the future."
Bochum is often been considered as a candidate for closure.
Saab brand chief Jan-Ake Jonsson was quoted in Automobilwoche as saying manufacturing costs are roughly 25 percent lower in Trollhattan compared to German plants, and that it increased its productivity by 15 percent last year.
"And we want to improve it this year again by a double-digit rate," he said.
GLOBAL DIESEL OFFENSIVE.
Separately, the trade publication also reported that GM is planning a global diesel offensive starting in 2008 that would include launching new diesel engines in the United States, where the technology has found few fans compared to Europe.
"We are developing right now two highly modern diesel motors that won't just fulfil the Euro-5 emission standards, but (also) the more stringent Bin-5 regulations in the USA," an unidentified GM manager told Automobilwoche.
It plans to introduce a 2.9 liter V6 and a 4.5 liter V8 that will gradually be used in almost all sport utility vehicles, pick-ups and large sedans in all GM brands and all markets.
Should the biggest U.S.-based carmaker roll out models with diesel engines on a large scale in the United States, then German carmakers that have specialized in the more fuel-efficient powertrain technology may be able to make greater inroads into the local market.
source:http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-03-12T200543Z_01_L12769108_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-AUTOS-GM-EUROPE-DC.XML