GM Europe chief to leave - sources

"Forster told a small group of people today that he is leaving," one of the sources said.

The son of a German diplomat and former BMW executive was widely expected to run an independent Opel under jilted suitor Magna , and his departure would mark the first high-profile manager exit as a result of the failed deal that triggered a storm of outrage in Germany.

"While he may have been someone who avoided conflict in favour of mutual solutions he was an outstanding car expert and vehemently intervened in the development of new models like the Corsa, Insignia and Astra," a company source said, who described the departure as a loss for Opel.

Forster spoke out in favour of the Magna deal just days before the board met to approve the sale in mid-September.

"Carl-Peter Forster nailed his colours to the mast of Magna," said an Opel labour representative.

GM plans to replace him at least temporarily with Nick Reilly, the former plant director at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in northwest England and current head of GM's international operations.

"Nick Reilly is more than capable - someone we've got some respect for since the one thing he did have was integrity. But I don't think he's the sort of person who would make a decision based with any affinity for any one country," the labour representative said, when asked about Reilly's character.

Reilly currently heads up the Chevrolet brand, which has long been favoured in Detroit's growth plans at the expense of an Opel strategy designed to keep it within the confines of the European market.

Reilly, a Briton, had worked as sales and marketing chief for GM Europe in Zurich before moving to Asia to run GM operations there. He worked for years as an executive at Vauxhall, Opel's British sister brand.