Opel is Germany’s top discounter as sales fall

From Businessweek:

General Motors Co.’s money-losing Opel brand overtook Fiat SpA with the steepest discounts in Germany last month as the unit seeks to halt a drop in sales.

Big discounts = no margin

“The Opel brand, which was already weakened by quality issues, has suffered considerable damage in the year-and-a-half- long aid pursuit,” said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Research at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.

Bad quality = dissatisfied owners

“The only way for Opel/Vauxhall to sell anything is to slash prices,” Simon Empson, managing director of U.K. discount car website Broadspeed.com, said in a telephone interview, adding that Vauxhall is offering discounts of more than 25 percent, including on the new Astra. “They’re not selling. There’s no interest.”

Opel badge = no interest