New York - General Motors' new post-bankruptcy chairman Ed Whitacre Wednesday predicted that the carmaker would be making profits "sooner than most people think."

"I think we'll surprise people," Whitacre told reporters in a conference call, according to Bloomberg financial news service.

Whitacre declined to comment on the pending question of a buyer for its European subsidiary Opel.

He indicated GM would accelerate its schedule for unveiling new GM models, but revealed no details.

Whitacre became chairman after GM emerged from one of the speediest - 40 days - US bankruptcies in history in July. The current board includes six holdover directors and seven newcomers.

Whitacre mentioned no dates for profitability, but earlier reports have indicated the target year is 2011.

In the negotiations over the fate of GM's European subsidiary Opel, the German government is pressuring GM for a decision between selling to the Austrian-Canadian parts supplier Magna International, or the Belgium-listed private equity investor RHJ International.

Analysts believe GM is playing for time in the bidding battle for Russelsheim, Germany-based Opel. GM's favourite, RHJ International RHJ International, is unwanted by Germany. And the Americans have problems with Germany's preferred candidate, Magna, fearing too much competition from Magna and too little influence on Opel.

The real tug of war is between Berlin and Washington. The US Treasury is now the majority shareholder in GM.

Magna's bid in tandem with Sberbank of Russia is conditional on German public subsidies to Opel.(dpa)