German Auto Maker Opel Passes from American to Russian Hands
A "friends-of-Putin" consortium is about to acquire the German automobile manufacturer Opel, a subsidiary of the bankrupt U.S. company General Motors....The quick-fix transaction took shape following Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's May 23 conversation with Chancellor Merkel, who subsequently ruled out other options for rescuing Opel. The Russian entry is intended to generate the production of moderately-priced vehicles for the Russian market...Germans are being asked, however, to subsidize this venture heavily.