Press Release

GM and Opel Announce Position on VW Industrial Espionage Settlement

12/09/96

VW/Lopez Case/ General Motors Corporation and Adam Opel AG/
Responsibility for Out-of-Court Settlement In VW's Hands


DETROIT and RUSSELSHEIM, Germany, Dec. 5 -- The
President's Council of General Motors Corporation and the
leadership of Adam Opel AG continue to be united with respect to their
assessment of the seriousness of this matter and its proper
resolution. Both GM and Opel reiterate that any out-of-court
resolution of civil actions require that fundamental steps be taken by
Volkswagen, in order to settle this matter on an appropriate and
honorable basis.

As stated on November 27, these steps include an acknowledgment by VW
of the wrongful conduct that occurred, and an acceptance of its
responsibility to remedy the wrongdoing by, among other measures,
severing its business relationships with Lopez and his collaborators
as well as compensating Opel and GM for the substantial damages
incurred. These steps do not threaten, and are not meant to cause any
threat to, the jobs of innocent Volkswagen employees, but do begin to
address the negative effects the wrongful conduct has had on the
employees of Opel.

GM and Opel continue to seek a judicial determination of the truth as
expeditiously as possible in the VW/Lopez case, and believe that the
appropriate forum to argue the facts and evidence is in courts of
law. In that context, Opel and GM regret that attorneys for Lopez and
his collaborators stated in the U.S. District Court earlier this week
that they will try to delay their clients' giving sworn testimony for
fear that this could adversely affect them in connection with criminal
investigations which are being conducted in Germany and in the United
States.