Opel to reduce production of ADAM and Corsa.

Opel will reduce production of the Adam minicar and Corsa subcompact at its plant in Eisenach, Germany, for several days this month.

The company said media reports that suggested Adam output will be cut because of falling demand were "speculation."

Opel said the cuts were due to reduced demand for cars in the winter months and the continuing economic problems facing all automakers in southern Europe.

"We are having some down days in October, mainly because of the Corsa production, a model which is in the later stages of its life cycle," an Opel spokesman told Automotive News Europe on Wednesday.

Adam sales are "fine," the spokesman said.

Opel began Adam production in January and has built 41,000 units in the first seven months, the automaker said. In the same period, Opel sold 27,214 Adams in Europe, according to market researcher JATO Dynamics.

Key model

The Adam is a part of Opel's plans to reverse its declining sales through fresh products in growth segments. Opel recently introduced the Mokka small SUV and Cascada mid-sized convertible to help win back customers.

GM's European operations, consisting mainly of Opel and its UK sister brand Vauxhall, have lost more than $18 billion since 1999.

Sales of both brands in EU and EFTA markets fell 5 percent to 546,367 in the first eight months, according to industry organization ACEA, matching the market's overall decline during the period.

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