Today the Bundeskartellamt has cleared the strategic alliance between General Motors Holding, Detroit, USA, and Peugeot S.A., Paris, France. The two vehicle manufacturers plan to pool their entire global purchasing activities and standardize their production material as far as possible. The alliance also provides for a 7% equity holding in Peugeot for General Motors, several agreements on the joint development of vehicle platforms and modules for vehicle manufacturing and a logistics agreement between General Motors and the Peugeot subsidiary Gefco. However, there are no plans for joint advertising, marketing and distribution activities.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: "Although the strategic alliance results in a certain amount of market concentration, it does not lead to a dominant position of General Motors and Peugeot. In most vehicle segments other manufacturers are selling more vehicles, both in Germany and in Europe. The competitors also often have stronger market positions vis à vis their suppliers."

In Europe, General Motors is represented in the automotive markets primarily with its brands Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet. Peugeot also sells vehicles of the Citroën brand and is Europe's second largest vehicle manufacturer (in terms of new registrations).

The two vehicle manufacturers buy at least 20,000 - 40,000 different parts and modules for vehicle manufacturing alone. General Motors and Peugeot plan to jointly purchase these and virtually all non-production material in future as one purchasing organisation. The Bundeskartellamt has examined the market structures for the purchase of key modules such as e.g. engines, transmission systems, instrument panels, etc. and has found no indications that the project is likely to create a dominant position. Other vehicle manufacturers are much stronger buyers in all product groups.

General Motors and Peugeot do not plan to launch a common brand and operate joint distribution activities on the sales markets in the future. However, the entire set of agreements covering the strategic alliance is targeted at improving the companies' market position on the sales markets. The Bundeskartellamt has therefore examined the market position of General Motors and Peugeot in Germany and Europe, both in total and separately according to individual vehicle categories - mini cars, small cars, compact class, medium class, upper middle/executive class, luxury vehicles, multi purpose vehicles (vans), sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and light commercial vehicles. In terms of new registrations in Germany in 2011, General Motors was fourth place behind VW, Daimler and BMW with a share of approx. 9% and Peugeot eighth place with a share of approx. 4.7%. Neither General Motors nor Peugeot were market leaders in any of the categories examined in Germany. In the EEA, Peugeot is the second largest vehicle manufacturer after VW; General Motors follows in fourth place with an 8.6% share of the market. In the multi-purpose and light commercial vehicle categories Peugeot is the market leader but with shares of less than one third. Furthermore, Renault, Ford and VW are also active in these categories with significant shares, which prevents Peugeot from gaining an uncontrolled scope for action in these vehicle categories. In assessing the market position of the two companies on the sales markets, the Bundeskartellamt also considered that between 2007 and 2011 approx. two million fewer vehicles were registered and General Motors' market share fell by approx. 2% and Peugeot's by approx.1.3%.

The examination of the alliance project fell within the competence of the Bundeskartellamt and not the European Commission since under European merger control, in contrast to German competition law, only the acquisition of control over another company is subject to notification.