In a surprise reversal, General Motors Co.’s board of directors has switched course on the company’s decision to sell control of its Opel and Vauxhall units to Magna International Inc, citing an improving business environment and the strategic importance of the two brands to the auto maker’s strategy.
通用汽车公司(General Motors Co.)董事会出人意料地改变路线，推翻了该公司之前将旗下欧宝(Opel)和Vauxhall子公司出售给Magna International Inc的决定，理由是业务环境好转，以及这两个品牌对通用汽车有着战略重要性。
The company’s 13-member board met in Detroit on Tuesday, and the sale of Opel topped the group’s agenda. Although the board approved the sale to Magna in September, the European Union last month voiced fresh concerns about Germany’s role in the sale to the Canadian car-parts maker . The board decided to review the sale one final time to discuss the European Union’s concerns and in light of indications that Germany may support an alternative restructuring plan for Opel other than the Magna sale.
由13位成员组成的通用汽车(GM)董事会周二在底特律开会，其最重要的议程就是出售欧宝的事宜。董事会9月同意将欧宝出售给加拿大汽车零部件制造商Magna，但欧盟上个月又对德国在这桩交易中的角色表示了担心。通用汽车董事会最后决定对这桩交易进行审查，讨论欧盟担忧的问题，以及考虑德国的表态，后者暗示它可能支持除向Magna出售外的其他欧宝重组计划。 来
GM will soon present its restructuring plan to Germany and other governments and hopes for its favorable consideration, said GM Chief Executive Frederick ’Fritz’ Henderson in a statement.
通用汽车首席执行长韩德胜(Frederick ’Fritz’ Henderson)在一份声明中说，公司不久将向德国和其他国家政府提交重组计划，希望能获得肯定。
’We understand the complexity and length of this issue has been draining for all involved. However, from the outset, our goal has been to secure the best long-term solution for our customers, employee, suppliers, and dealers, which is reflected in the decision,’ the statement said.
声明说，我们深知此事复杂耗时，令所有相关各方疲惫不已。然而从一开始，我们的目标就是为客户、员工、供应商和经销商获得最佳的长期解决方案，公司的决定也反映了这一点。
Up until recently, Mr. Henderson had been a proponent of a deal that would sell 55% of Opel to Magna. Under terms of that deal, the German government would kick in billions of dollars in financing to close the sale and initiate a restructuring. Magna had committed to spend $500 million.
直到最近，韩德胜还一直支持将欧宝55%的股权出售给Magna的交易。根据该交易的条件，德国政府将拿出数十亿美元资金用于达成出售交易并启动重组。Magna承诺投资5亿美元。
Representatives from Magna couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
记者未能即时联系到Magna的代表发表评论。
Earlier Tuesday, Opel workers agreed to concessions that would have saved Magna 265 million ($391 million) annually in exchange for saving jobs and avoiding some plant closings. The deal was only valid if GM and Magna signed a final sale agreement.
周二早些时候，欧宝的工人同意让步，这本来可以令Magna每年节省2.65亿欧元(3.91亿美元)，条件是保留职位，避免一些工厂关闭。这桩交易只在通用汽车与Magna签定最终出售协议的情况下有效。
Mr. Henderson said that keeping Opel, which is based in Germany and represents the heart of GM’s European operations, was deemed to be the most stable and least costly approach for securing Opel/Vauxhall’s long-term future.
韩德胜说，保留欧宝被认为是保证欧宝和Vauxhall长远前途的最稳妥、代价最小方式。欧宝总部在德国，也是通用汽车欧洲业务的核心。
GM is Europe’s fourth-largest auto maker after Volkswagen AG, PSA Group and Ford Motor Co. but its Opel/Vauxhall brands have lost market share, with sales down 11.4% year-on-year in the period from January to September, versus an industry decline of 6.6%.
通用汽车是欧洲第四大汽车制造商，前三位分别是大众汽车(Volkswagen AG)、标致雪铁龙集团(PSA Group)和福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)。但欧宝/Vauxhall两大品牌的市场份额不断缩水，今年1-9月销量较上年同期下降11.4%，而整个行业降幅为6.6%。
GM estimates its restructuring plan will cost about $883 billion, which it says is significantly lower than all bids submitted as part of the investor solicitation. The company said it will work with European labor unions to develop a plan for meaningful contributions to Opel’s restructuring.
通用汽车预计，其重组计划将耗资8,830亿美元左右，并声称这个数额大大低于从投资者那里吸引到的所有投标的总额。通用汽车表示，将与欧洲各工会合作，拿出一个能够对欧宝重组有深远贡献的计划。
责任编辑：sealion1986
