Unclear role of Russians in Opel sale

The daily Dnevnik criticises the decision of US carmaker General Motors to sell its German subsidiary Opel to Austrian-Canadian car parts supplier Magna and Russia's Sberbank, saying it is still unclear what role Magna's Russian partner GAZ will play: "In particular Russia's involvement in the rescue of Opel is a great strategic challenge. The deal secures the Russians direct access to cutting-edge knowhow [car technology] and no one can say how this will affect the development of the entire European automotive industry. We still don't know whether we are witnessing a technology transfer [from Opel] to [Russian carmaker] GAZ or whether the Russians will develop the Opel brand. … A year after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy the fate of Opel is a vivid example of what governments can expect when they try to crown themselves with glory for their rescue efforts."

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