BERLIN -- Opel will adjust production volume at its Ruesselsheim plant in Germany this year, it said on Thursday.
Opel did not say how much it will reduce output but the Mainzer Allgemeine newspaper reported that output will be halved to 68,000 vehicles from 123,000. The paper cited union sources.
"Opel continuously adjusts production. We want to further improve the capacity utilization of our plants. This of course also applies to Ruesselsheim," an Opel spokesman said, adding that the company does not publicly comment on details of its internal plans.
Opel builds its Insignia midsize car and Zafira minivan in Ruesselsheim, according to the Automotive News Europe assembly plant map.
Zafira sales in Europe fell 39 percent to 29,220 last year, according to JATO Dynamics market researchers, as customers switch to crossovers such as the brand's Grandland X, whose 2018 sales were 74,299. The Grandland X is built in PSA's plant in Sochaux, France. Insignia sales dropped 6.8 percent to 67,053.
In May, Opel's labor leaders agreed with PSA management on an investment plan and job guarantees for German factories in return for wage concessions.
PSA Group bought Opel and its UK sister brand Vauxhall from General Motors last year in a $2.6 billion deal, saying it aimed to restore Opel to profitability by 2020.
PSA posted a 7.8 percent increase in quarterly revenue, buoyed by the acquisition of Opel-Vauxhall as well as strong sales of pricier Peugeot models.
