Fiat is still interested in German carmaker Opel even though a rival has been picked as the preferred bidder by parent company General Motors and the German government, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said Friday.
Speaking after hints that the preferred bid from Canadian-Austrian auto parts maker Magna was not assured of success, Marchionne said:
''The interest is still there, it's not up to us''.
''Technically the deal is not sealed. We'll see''.
On Thursday Germany's deputy economy minister, Jochen Homann, said Germany was keeping avenues open to all the original bidders in the event the Magna operation fell through.
''It would be silly not to stay in touch,'' he said.
Homan said he could not rule out the possibility of the Magna-Opel operation breaking down.
Earlier on Thursday, Italian Industry Minister Claudio Scajola said Fiat still had a chance to acquire Opel.
''I am convinced that the game is not over yet, that there is a chance talks will reopen in a few months and that Fiat still has some cards to play,'' the minister said.
According to Scajola, ''Fiat had the best business plan, whereas the choice made by GM and the German government was dictated by financial interests and conditioned by the political situation in Germany,'' where general elections will be held in September.
The Italian minister's remarks came one day after German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg indicated that Saturday's decision on a future partner for Opel was not definitive.
The accord, zu Guttenberg observed, ''is as concrete as a non-binding memorandum of understanding can be''.
Nevertheless, the minister added that ''we hope there will be the signing of an agreement''.
Last Saturday GM and the German government, which must guarantee rescue loans for Opel, chose a bid from Magna and Russia's biggest bank Sberbank.
Many observers believe that Magna was chosen as the preferred partner because it was more 'Germany-orientated' and thus politically more attractive ahead of general elections later this year.
GM, on the other hand, was said to have been attracted by an additional 350 million euros Magna-Sberbank was ready to put on the table.
Fiat's bid centered on making Opel a part of a global automotive player it is creating with the operations of Detroit No.3 Chrysler, over which Fiat has obtained control.
