General Motors will suspend car production at Opel plants in Spain and Germany next week because of a shortage of parts from Japan. Opel’s factory in Zaragoza, Spain, will be closed March 21 and for half a day on March 25, and two shifts at the plant in Eisenach, Germany, will be canceled on March 21 and March 22, said Opel spokesman Stefan Weinmann on Saturday.
Both sites make the Corsa small car, while the Zaragoza factory also produces the Meriva minivan. GM is assessing inventories of key components after last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan, CEO Dan Akerson told reporters on Friday in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Plant shutdowns across Japan following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis threaten supplies of car parts for manufacturers across the globe.
