Opel to end car making at German plant

BERLIN - The Associated Press

Opel Germany CEO Thomas Sedran leaves after a media conference. REUTERS photo

General Motors Opel unit has said it plans to end car production at one of its plants in Germany in 2016 but the factory may instead be used for component manufacturing.

Opel said employees at the Bochum plant in northwestern Germany - one of four in the country - were informed yesterday that vehicle production there will end as expected when the company stops making the Zafira model. But it says the company’s warehouse in Bochum will continue to employ people after 2016 and may be expanded. Opel also is negotiating with employee representatives to produce components at the site. Opel has been struggling amid economic gloom in Europe and overcapacity in the auto industry.