GM eyes autonomous future as it sells Opel

In this photo provided by General Motors a self-driving car is seen in Detroit. General Motors is trying to persuade state lawmakers across the country to pass legislation that would clear the way for the automaker to make self-driving cars publicly available while potentially barring GM’s competitors from putting their own vehicles on the road. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)

NEW YORK: The move by US auto giant General Motors to offload money-losing European brand Opel marks its latest effort to focus on more profitable markets and autonomous driving technology. 

The largest US automaker announced March 6 the sale of European brands Opel and Vauxhall to French automaker PSA for €1.3bil (RM6.12bil), pulling away from a region that has produced 16 years of losses totalling US$15bil (RM66.78bil).