Magna and Sberbank announce revised offer for Opel
21 Julho 2009 - 9:56AM
PR Newswire (US)
AURORA, ON, Canada and MOSCOW, Russia, July 21
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Magna International Inc. ("Magna") (TSX:
MG.A, NYSE: MGA) and Savings Bank of the Russian Federation
("Sberbank") (RTS: SBER, MISEX: SBER03) today announced that Magna
and Sberbank have jointly submitted a revised offer to acquire a
55% interest in Adam Opel GmbH ("Opel") as part of a proposed
solution that is intended to assure the long-term viability of
Opel. Under the offer, the acquired 55% interest in Opel would be
owned by a 50:50 Magna/Sberbank consortium ("Consortium"), with
General Motors Company ("General Motors") retaining a 35% interest
and Opel employees acquiring 10% as part of a new labour framework.
The offer was made in response to a request by General Motors for
final offers regarding Opel. The offer contemplates a total equity
investment by the Consortium of Euro 500 million over time. General
Motors is expected to review all submitted offers for Opel and
determine the next steps in the sale process. If the offer is
successful, any transaction between the Consortium and General
Motors would still be subject to finalization of definitive
agreements and other conditions, including government-backed
financing. Therefore, there is no assurance at this time that any
transaction will result from the current involvement of Magna and
Sberbank. If the Consortium is successful in completing the
acquisition, Magna will put in place appropriate "firewalls" to
ensure that its current business will operate independently from
Opel. MAGNA FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
-------------------------------- This press release may contain
statements that, to the extent that they are not recitations of
historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking
statements may include financial and other projections, as well as
statements regarding our future plans, objectives or economic
performance, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. We
use words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely",
"expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "plan", "forecast",
"project", "estimate" and similar expressions to identify
forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are
based on assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our
experience and our perception of historical trends, current
conditions and expected future developments, as well as other
factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. However,
whether actual results and developments will conform with our
expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks,
assumptions and uncertainties, including, without limitation: the
potential for an extended global recession, including its impact on
our liquidity; declining production volumes and sales levels; the
impact of government financial intervention in the automotive
industry; restructuring of the global automotive industry; the
financial distress of some of our suppliers and the risk of their
insolvency, bankruptcy or financial restructuring; restructuring
and/or downsizing costs related to the rationalization of some of
our operations; impairment charges; shifts in technology; our
ability to successfully grow our sales to non-traditional
customers; a reduction in the production volumes of certain
vehicles, such as certain light trucks; our dependence on
outsourcing by our customers; risks of conducting business in
foreign countries, including Russia, India and China; our ability
to quickly shift our manufacturing footprint to take advantage of
lower cost manufacturing opportunities; the termination or
non-renewal by our customers of any material contracts; disruptions
in the capital and credit markets; fluctuations in relative
currency values; our ability to successfully identify, complete and
integrate acquisitions; the potential acquisition of a significant
stake in Opel; our ability to offset price concessions demanded by
our customers; the continued exertion of pricing pressures by our
customers; warranty and recall costs; product liability claims in
excess of our insurance coverage; changes in our mix of earnings
between jurisdictions with lower tax rates and those with higher
tax rates, as well as our ability to fully benefit tax losses;
other potential tax exposures; legal claims against us; work
stoppages and labour relations disputes; changes in laws and
governmental regulations; costs associated with compliance with
environmental laws and regulations; potential conflicts of interest
involving our indirect controlling shareholder, the Stronach Trust;
and other factors set out in our Annual Information Form filed with
securities commissions in Canada and our annual report on Form 40-F
filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission,
and subsequent filings. In evaluating forward-looking statements,
readers should specifically consider the various factors which
could cause actual events or results to differ materially from
those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Unless
otherwise required by applicable securities laws, we do not intend,
nor do we undertake any obligation, to update or revise any
forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent information,
events, results or circumstances or otherwise. Magna International
Inc. is the most diversified global automotive supplier. Magna
designs, develops and manufactures technologically advanced
systems, assemblies, modules and components, and engineer and
assemble complete vehicles, primarily for sale to original
equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") of cars and light trucks. The
company's capabilities include the design, engineering, testing and
manufacture of automotive interior systems; seating systems;
closure systems; body and chassis systems; vision systems;
electronic systems; exterior systems; power train systems; roof
systems; as well as complete vehicle engineering and assembly.
Magna has approximately 70,000 employees in 240 manufacturing
operations and 86 product development, engineering and sales
centres in 25 countries. http://www.magna.com/ Sberbank (Savings
Bank of the Russian Federation) is the largest Bank in Russia
Central and Eastern Europe, with about 30% of the total assets of
the Russian banking system and around 260 000 of employees. The
Central Bank of the Russian Federation is the founder and the
majority shareholder of Sberbank (over 60% of the voting shares),
with the rest of the shares dispersed among more than 200 thousand
individuals and legal entities. The Bank has the most ramified
branch network in Russia: 17 Regional Head Offices, over 20
thousand branches and banking outlets, as well as subsidiaries in
Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The Bank holds the General License # 1481,
issued by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.
http://www.sberbank.ru/ DATASOURCE: Magna International Inc.
CONTACT: Magna International Inc.: Vincent J. Galifi, Executive
Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, +1 (905) 726-7100;
Sberbank: Anton Karamzin, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Chief
Financial Officer, + 7 (495) 957-5721,
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