Ruesselsheim, Germany  - German carmaker Opel has called for the company to break away from its ailing General Motors (GM) parent and forge a new motor vehicle group comprising the giant US auto group's European operations as part of a rescue plan unveiled Friday.

The move could bring to an end Opel's 80-year history as a part of GM's business empire, with Opel seeking 3.3 billion euros (4.3 billion dollars) in aid to underpin the formation of the European car group and help it through the current global car market crisis.

Opel "has a future in Europe," said Opel board chairman Carl-Peter Forster, adding that the carmaker will present its business plan to the German Government on Monday.

In addition to the four Opel plants in Germany, GM has operations in Britain, the home of GM9s Vauxhall cars, Spain and Sweden. However, GM's Swedish SAAB company has already filed for bankruptcy protection.

GM declined to comment on the restructuring plan drawn up by Opel with the new Opel/Vauxhall European operation to be based in the group's German headquarters in Ruesselsheim in the western part of the country.

Car analysts see independence from GM as representing Opel's only real chance for survival. "Opel must be cleanly separated out," said Wolfgang Meinig from the German automobile industry research group (FAW).

The German Government said Friday the battle for Opel and its GM's European operations would be raised at a European Union (EU) leaders' summit set down for Sunday, which is likely to be dominated by the global economic crisis.

Thousands of Opel workers took to the streets across Europe Thursday to demonstrate to save their jobs after GM announced moves for a major shakeout in its international operations raising fears about Opel's future.

The aim of Opel's business plan said Friedrich, was to "avoid plant closures and job cuts."

The fight to save Opel and the jobs of its 25,000 workers - nearly half GM's total European workforce - also comes as Germany's political parties gear up for an election set down for September.

However, Berlin has said Opel would first have to draw up a viable business plans before the government would consider aid to the struggling carmaker.

On Friday, German Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg also warned that the degree of integration between Opel and the Detroit-based GM made a push by Opel to part company with its troubled US parent very difficult.

But in outlining Opel's new business plan, Friedrich said the new European Opel/Vauxhall group would call on GM to allow it to have access to new key technology.

Adding to the pressures building on GM and Opel, GM announced in Detroit Thursday that it had run a 30.9-billion-dollar loss in 2008 after a daunting fourth-quarter loss of
9.6 billion dollars. Opel booked a pre-tax loss of 1.6 billion dollars (1.25 billion euros) last year.

This is the second time in the last five years that Opel has faced a major overhaul in its business with the company cutting 10,000 jobs in 2004 after GM launched another major overhaul of its global operations.

Now only a few months after Washington lent GM and rival Chrysler 17.4 billion dollars, GM is proposing another far-reaching restructuring plan, which includes big job cuts worldwide and could result in its hiving off parts of its international operations. (dpa)