Opel union head reaffirms opposition to Fiat stake

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- The works council head of Opel -- General Motors' struggling German unit -- said parties other than Fiat S.p.A. and Canadian-Austrian supplier Magna International were keen on investing in the German carmaker.

"We have interested investors, not only those which were mentioned in the media in the past few days but still others," Klaus Franz said late Thursday during a talk show on German television.

He did not provide details but said he was "confident that a solution will be found".

Franz, who sits on Opel's supervisory board, reiterated he was opposed to the idea of Fiat as a potential investor in Opel, in which GM must sell a significant stake to convince German politicians to use taxpayer money for 2.6 billion euros ($3.4 billion) in loan guarantees.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said in an interview with La Stampa newspaper on Friday that his next project was a deal with Opel after a landmark alliance with U.S. car maker Chrysler.

A spokesman for Opel declined comment on Marchionne's interview but said: "We are pleased about the interests expressed by several parties."

Frank Stronach, founder of car parts maker Magna, said in a newspaper interview on Wednesday his company wanted to help Opel but it was too early to say what role it might play.

Opel said on Friday its Russelsheim factory would continue operating in three working shifts in May due to the high demand for the Insignia, the carmaker's new flagship model.