German competition authorities said on July 4 that they are examining the global alliance between General Motors (IW 1000/13), which owns the German Opel brand, and France's PSA Peugeot Citroen (IW 1000.43).
Germany's federal cartel office was particularly interested in what repercussions the tie-up would have for car parts suppliers, a spokeswoman said.
The probe is expected to last three months, she added.
In an alliance unveiled in February, the two auto giants said they would develop joint platforms and technologies and pool their purchasing activities in order to cut costs. As part of the tie-up, GM announced earlier this month it would transfer most of its logistics activities in Europe to Gefco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroen.
The agreement, which comes into effect in 2013, will cover most of the logistics activities in Europe, including Russia, of Opel/Vauxhall, Chevrolet and Cadillac.
It includes services such as material and component deliveries to manufacturing plants, delivery of finished vehicles to dealerships and the transport of after-sales spare parts to distribution centres, the statement explained.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012
