GM taps VW exec to run troubled Opel unit Opel, which makes both Opel and Vauxhall cars, has been headed on an interim basis by strategy chief Thomas Sedran since the abrupt resignation of CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke last year. GM has struggled to turn around its European business, which has been hit by weak demand due to the eurozone debt crisis as well as tough competition in a crowded field for mass-market cars.