Last month, Paul Hampel, a member of Alternative for Germany’s national governing board, called the deal a “sellout of German know-how.”
At a time when European unity is under threat, the sale of Opel to PSA could strain relations among Britain, France
and Germany as they try to ensure that any pain is imposed in someone else’s backyard.
“We see that there’s a similarity between the difficulties Opel is going through today and PSA’s situation three, four years ago.”
The French government would certainly balk if there were hints of further cuts by PSA in France.
To make the deal work, PSA will have to navigate elected officials
and labor leaders in three countries where it has big plants — Britain, France and Germany.
“The idea is that this deal makes a strong second to VW,” Mr. Herman said, “but they’ve got to make money.”
The two British plants, with the Opel and Vauxhall brands, could be particularly vulnerable to political and economic forces.
Peugeot Maker’s Deal for G. M.’s Opel Faces Political Headwinds -
By JACK EWINGMARCH 6, 2017
FRANKFURT — Turning a French carmaker and its German rival into a global auto giant would be tough under any circumstances.
