Germany Demands That GM Explain Opel Plans

The German government is pressuring General Motors Co. to detail its restructuring plans for its Adam Opel unit, Der Spiegel reports.

Economy Minister Philipp Roesler tells the German magazine that "Opel's workforce needs clarity." He complains that his request to meet with GM management during a trip to the U.S. this month has gone unanswered.

Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke said two weeks ago that management would submit its turnaround plan to Opel's supervisory board on June 28. He declared previously that the unit aims to boost output at its underutilized assembly plants in Europe by building vehicles for export and perhaps making Chevrolet vehicles.

German government officials and labor leaders fear GM plans to close an Opel assembly plant in Bochum, Germany. They also are unhappy that the company has said it will end production of the high-volume Opel Astra compact car in Germany in 2014 in favor of factories of England and Poland.