General Motors (GM) said on Friday it would seek a new chief for European operations with Carl-Peter Forster quitting following the automaker’s decision to hang on to its Opel/Vauxhall division.
Forster, GM group vice president and president at Opel Europe, “will be leaving his role as head of European operations and will advise the company during the transition,” the Detroit auto giant said in a statement.
“With the departure of Forster, GM will initiate an immediate external search for a new CEO for Opel Europe and will work with Opel leadership, in consultation with representatives of the European Employees Forum, in moving forward with a plan that will build a strong and enduring future for the Opel/Vauxhall brands,” the automaker said.
Sources said earlier that Forster would leave as chief executive.
A report in the German magazine Der Spiegel said GM executive vice president David Reilly would replace Forster, as GM seeks to soothe anger over its decision this week to abandon a sale of Opel to Canadian group Magna International and Russian partner Sberbank.
Der Spiegel also reported that Bob Lutz, 77, an industry veteran with vast experience on both sides of the Atlantic at BMW, Ford and Chrysler and currently at GM, would replace Forster as head of Opel’s supervisory board.
Forster was a keen supporter of Magna’s bid.
On Thursday, GM chief executive Fritz Henderson told reporters in Detroit that he would pick a new management team for Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall within “days or weeks.”
GM has decided to restructure Opel/Vauxhall itself, with the elimination of at least 10,000 jobs and possibly the closure of German factories, a move that has sparked widespread anger in Germany.
Germany is home to about 25,000 Opel workers, roughly half of GM Europe’s total work force.
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