As Opel turns to Chinese partners, its hometown frets about the future

As Opel partners with Chinese, its hometown rethinks its future

As Germany's Opel cuts its engineering ranks and turns its direction toward partnership with China's Leapmotor, anxiety is running high in its hometown of Ruesselsheim, t...

As Opel turns to Chinese partners, its hometown frets about the future

Struggling like many other European automakers, Opel is expanding its partnership with Leapmotor to build a new SUV, tapping the Hangzhou-based company's expertise on electric vehicles and low-cost production -- while leaving Opel's local engineers to perform more old-fashioned vehicle design work. Stellantis, Opel's multinational parent company, said in April that it would cut 650 engineering jobs -- from a total workforce of 1,650 -- at its Ru…