Opel May Seek Partner for Rear-Drive GT

General Motors Co.'s Opel unit in Europe is trying to build a business case for a production version of its GT sports coupe concept that may include partnering with another company on a rear-wheel-drive platform.

The carmaker is evaluating several alternatives to build the vehicle, Opel boss Karl-Thomas Neumann tells Autocar. This includes a "parts-bin" approach of piecing together components from other GM models. But Neumann concedes that high engineering costs would likely preclude that option.

A more cost-effective approach would be to partner with another company on an off-the-shelf platform, Neumann notes. Autocar suggests GM's Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp. and its MG unit as a possibility. SAIC acquired the U.K. brand in 2007 and now produces rwd MG models exclusively in China based on design and engineering work done in England.

Opel introduced the GT Concept last March at the Geneva auto show. Neumann believes the company has two more years to make a production decision before the vehicle's design loses its appeal.