Magna wants to build Opels in Canada

[MasterXan]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...rticle1161087/

exerpts:

Greg Keenan, Eric Reguly, Bertrand Marotte

TORONTO, ROME and MONTREAL � From Saturday's Globe and Mail, Sunday, May. 31, 2009 09:11PM EDT

.Canada will have a national auto maker now that Magna International Inc. has won the bidding to take over Adam Opel AG.

�We want to build Opel cars in Canada,� Magna chairman Frank Stronach said late Friday from Vienna as he awaited confirmation that the Canadian auto-parts giant had indeed won the backing of the German government for a deal that would give it and its partners a controlling stake.

�Canada should have its own Canadian company � a truly Canadian automobile industry,� he said, although he did not indicate where in Canada the cars would be built.

Mr. Stronach said auto makers can be competitive if management and employees work together and end what he called the confrontational and adversarial structure that has dominated the industry.

�I know we can be competitive, I know we can create jobs in Canada and the United States. If we don�t change the culture, North America�s got no chance to be in the automobile industry, absolutely no chance.�

There are a couple of people on this board who think GM and Chrysler are all we got. Either they are union shills or they just love to burn money.

This situation is proof that failure is a good thing because it allows others who are more competent to take over.

[Engi-Nir]

It is still 35% owned by GM, and both sides have full access to its engineering resources/technology. The new buick regal will be a opel insignia. So he must be building the Astra, or some small car. But I am all for it

[macalin]

If we can get cars like these: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/vauxh...rer-1/2024310/

Then I'm all for it!

[Engi-Nir]

If we can get cars like these: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/vauxh...rer-1/2024310/

Then I'm all for it!

I doubt they will make that, cause Buick Regal will use the Insignia, and that is a Insignia Hatchback

[Spray]

WTB.

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

The Buick Regal is only for the Chinese market. The North American version is the Lacrosse which is quite different. Different enough that they actually sell it in China as well alongside the Regal.

http://www.buick.com.cn/

[camber]

I'm all for a Canadian car company.

If the japanese & Germans can build cars in their homelands and make a profit selling them in North America, then there is no reason that Canada can't do the same. Canada consistently makes some of the best put together cars in the world and we have top class part suppliers. It's about time we have a Canadian lead car company.

[Engi-Nir]

The Buick Regal is only for the Chinese market. The North American version is the Lacrosse which is quite different. Different enough that they actually sell it in China as well alongside the Regal.

http://www.buick.com.cn/

I am sort of sure, the buick regal is destined here also per GMI.

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

I haven't really been reading GMI since they've all devolved into "SECRET MUSLIM SOCIALIST BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA KILLED MY FIREBIRD" mode after Pontiac was canned. It seems unlikely to me but who knows. The regular Insignia is a 4 cylinder car, only the OPC version has the twin turbo V6. The Chinese Buick Regal is only available with the 4 cylinder engine. I think it would be too slow and gutless for North America.

[SkiD]

The Chinese Buick Regal is only available with the 4 cylinder engine. I think it would be too slow and gutless for North America.

So I guess all the 4 cylinder Toyota Camry & Honda Accords are gutless also and don't sell in numbers to be profitable for their companies?

[Piro21]

Spray, the Saturn Sky is the same car as the one you posted. You can buy it already.

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

So I guess all the 4 cylinder Toyota Camry & Honda Accords are gutless also and don't sell in numbers to be profitable for their companies?

They already sell a 4 cylinder Epsilon II Malibu here. Buick is suppose to compete with Lexus and Audi. Audi can get away with the 2.0T in the A6 because the 2.0T is pretty powerful but even then that's stretching it a bit. Most cars in this class use at least V6 engines.

Spray, the Saturn Sky is the same car as the one you posted. You can buy it already.

That's not a Sky, it's an Opel Speedster/ Vauxhall VX220, it's mid-engined and based on the Lotus Elise.

[arm2000]

If we can get cars like these: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/vauxh...rer-1/2024310/

Then I'm all for it!

Seems to me like a slightly re-styled Magnum. What's so exciting about it?

[look30]

Seems to me like a slightly re-styled Magnum. What's so exciting about it?

U GOT TO BE KIDDING !!! It's like saying , yeah Ferraris are just re-styled Camaro's...

[mangoman]

I don't like overly large cars but if I needed one to cart around a large family, I'd go for this Vauxhall which looks more like an Audi than a Magnum. The Vauxhall looks way more upscale (can't comment on the engine itself).

Seems to me like a slightly re-styled Magnum. What's so exciting about it?