PSA agrees to buy Opel in deal valuing GM unit at 2.2 bln euros

PARIS, March 6 (Reuters) - PSA Group has agreed to buy European rival Opel from General Motors in a deal valuing the business at 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), the companies said on Monday, creating a new regional car giant to challenge market leader Volkswagen.

The maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars pledged to achieve 1.7 billion euros in cost savings from the acquisition by 2026 and lift the Opel business and its UK Vauxhall brand to a 6 percent operating margin in the same period.

($1 = 0.9432 euros) (Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)