GM to review bids for Opel brand

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan: General Motors Co's 13-member board, overhauled with seven new directors after bankruptcy, will review bids for the Opel brand as part of its first meeting beginning starting yesterday, people familiar with the planning said.

The two-day gathering in Detroit includes a discussion of asset sales, committee assignments and company goals, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Directors also will receive a product overview at GM's technical center and test-drive vehicles, the people said.

Ed Whitacre, the former chief executive officer of AT&T Inc, made his boardroom debut as GM chairman. He was joined by six holdover directors and a half dozen appointees named by the Treasury, the governments of Canada and Ontario and a union trust, which own most of the biggest US automaker.