December 7, 2001

Rita Forst joins Opel Powertrain GmbH Management Board

Rüsselsheim. At today's meeting the Supervisory Board of Opel Powertrain GmbH appointed Product Development Director Rita Forst (46) as a further member of the company`s Management Board. In addition to Board Chairman Jochen Ohse and Human Resources Director Christian Möller, the Opel Powertrain GmbH Management Board will in future have three members.

In the words of Hans Barth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board: "The appointment of Rita Forst is an acknowledgement of her capabilities and many years of dedicated effort on behalf of the company, and also confirms the high status which we have allocated to the Development area." He looked forward, he said, to further fruitful cooperation with the new, larger Board of Managers.

Rita Forst was born on March 31, 1955 in Wiesbaden, Germany. She studied mechanical engineering at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, specializing in Energy and Heat Technology. Her professional career began in April 1977 as a designer in Adam Opel AG's engine design department. In 1981 she was promoted to Project Engineer, a position in which she played a major part in the introduction of the passenger-car three-way catalytic converter and the use of four-valve cylinder heads. As Project Manager from 1997 on, she was responsible for integrating a newly developed alloy engine into the Opel Astra, Astra Coupe, Zafira and Vectra model lines. In January 2001 she joined Opel Powertrain GmbH as Product Development Director.

A new appointment to the Opel Powertrain GmbH Supervisory Board is Giorgio Fossati, head of the Fiat Auto legal department, who takes the place of Alfredo Mittone. Elke Eller-Braatz has also been replaced by Nikolaus Schmidt, Secretary to the Committee of the German IG Metall trade union. Dr. Hans-Dieter Rüter, who represented the upper management group, has also left the Supervisory Board; his successor has not yet been nominated.