Opel Strengthens Its Position in Russia

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - October 21, 2013: The General Motors (GM) business in Russia will be integrated into GM Europe, the European group of GM, effective January 1st, 2014. So far the business in Russia is run by GM International Operations (GMIO) based in Shanghai. It is an important step to strengthen the position of Opel on the Russian market.

“This is the right decision at the right time. Russia is an important part of the European market and for Opel it is the third biggest market in Europe,” says Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Chairman of Opel/Vauxhall and President, GM Europe. “All forecasts point out that Russia will become the biggest market in Europe in the next years. Opel enjoys high reputation in Russia. With our strong model portfolio we want to clearly increase our market share.” GM brands in Russia are Opel, Chevrolet and Cadillac.

Andy Dunstan, until now Executive Director Sales Central & Eastern Europe and International Operations will take over the management of the business in Russia effective November 1st, 2013. Dunstan, who brings in valuable experiences from Product Planning, Marketing, Business Development and Sales, will report to Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. Dunstan follows Jim Bovenzi, who will move to Detroit as Executive Director Global Localization Strategy.