Former UK Vauxhall chief Nick Reilly looks set to be moved from his post as international operations chief of General Motors in order to take temporary charge of Vauxhall/Opel.

Bob Lutz will also take charge of Opel's supervisory board until a new full time chief executive is found.

The moves follow the departure of GM's European chief Carl-Peter Forster who resigned following GM's decision to pull the sale of its European operations to Magna International.

Forster has been lined up to take charge of Jaguar Land Rover, according to The Sunday Times.

GM said it “will initiate an immediate external search for a new chief executive for Opel Europe and will work with Opel leadership, in consultation with representatives of the European Employees Forum, in moving forward with a plan that will build a strong and enduring future for the Opel/Vauxhall brands”.

President and chief executive Fritz Henderson said: “The Opel brand has made tremendous progress under Carl-Peter’s tenure and leadership over the past several years.

“We thank him for his significant accomplishments and wish him only the best in the future. In the meantime, we’re confident that the key personnel leading Opel will stay focused on running the business during this time of transition.”

Henderson added no other management changes to the Opel Europe organisation are being considered at this time.