Carlos Tavares says the predominant UK view of his recent comments on the future of Opel and Vauxhall as “a fair interpretation” of what he believes.

Revealing the comeback plan last week, Tavares appeared very reluctant to forecast forced redundancies or plant closures, and suggested that Vauxhall and Opel could reach healthy profit targets without a need for higher sales, provided all involved were prepared to participate in the task.

In Paris today, Tavares reiterated that there is “a strong intention” to avoid plant closures and redundancies, but said it was imperative that Vauxhall and Opel must make money.

“Everyone will have a chance. There is no hidden agenda. I’m not here to restrict people, but to give them breathing space. We understand that the Vauxhall brand warms the heart of the British people. As long as we can make money in the UK, we will be just fine.”

He added: “But we must make money – for the sake of the employees. Look at Opel. For 30 years the employees were saying: hey, guys, why don’t you fix it?”

“We believe in people. They are not the problem, they are the solution. Maybe we have some reservations about the way some things are done now. Maybe some of the things we have learned over the past few years can help.”

The future of Vauxhall’s Ellesmore Port and Luton plants has been under scrutiny since the sale of the car maker to PSA was announced earlier this year.

Ellesmere Port was running at 63% manufacturing capacity in 2016, while Luton was running at 82%.

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