Karmann looking at scrapping another 1000 jobs !!

[Tempest 0]

OK, it's all in German, hot off the press so to speak, but here's the bad news: http://www1.ndr.de/ndr_pages_std/0,2570,OID2250190,00.html

 

In essence because of diminishing sales of the Crossfire, production is stagnating, and Karmann have overcapacity at the birthplace of our beloved coupes, Osnabrück. Another reason is generally the slow new car sales market leading to overcapacity at big shifters like VW, Opel etc., hence they no longer need to outsource to Karmann. The Rheine plant, where the A4 cabrio is made, seems to be OK for the moment.

 

VW: BUILD THE NEW ROCCO AT KARMANN IN OSNABRÜCK, not in bl**dy Portugal !!!!!

 

Tempest

[Jim 2]

Very sad :(

 

You only need to look at the discounts being offered on the Crossfire right now to tell that there are big problems.. its supposed to be a good car on all accounts as well, but I don't think it helps that its pig ugly!

 

Hope Mario and all the folks that took us round last year get to keep their jobs!

[Tempest 0]

More doom and gloom in Osnabrück's morning newspapers for Karmann. An interview with their current CEO revealed no better news, unfortunately.

 

Karmann is more and more becominmg the victim of modern production factories, so-called "breathing factories", where people are just hired and fired according to production needs, as if they were just tools or machinery, like junk in other words. Disgraceful of what's become of modern capitalism :-(

 

Tempest

[RW1 0]

Positioning......... Scirocco III at Onsabruck :wink:

 

.

[Supercharged 2]

Positioning......... Scirocco III at Onsabruck Wink

 

You mean IV surely? :wink:

[Yandards 0]

Nuts.

 

Without sounding like too much of a selfish doom monger I hope they are still able to do tours this year.

[Tempest 0]

More bad news, now even officially published by the German mag "Der Spiegel": http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,420902,00.html

 

In a nutshell:

 

Sales dropped by 30% to 1.9 billion Euro last year.

1250 jobs (out of 5200) to go at Osnabrück plant (HQ), including 400 in admin.

Further drops in sales expected for 2006.

Possible move to Poland for production.

Poor sales of Crossfire main cause for this, 35700 still produced 2 years ago, in 2005 only 12500 were produced.

 

They did manage to increase their own capital by 10 million to 272 million Euros.

 

Didn't get the deal for the Eos (VW decided to build this one in-house).

US and Brazil profitable (mainly due to exhange rates).

Producing the cabrio roof system for the Nissan Micro C+C in Sunderland (OK, it's a bl**dy rice-cooker, well, French actually, don't Renault own Nissan?).

Developing the roof system for the BentleyContonental GTC (hoping to get that deal).

 

Tempest

[Guest]

I quite like the Crossfire, although I don't like to admit it.

 

I'd have one if I was looking for that sort of car, with that sort of discount

[Jim 2]

It was definately a modern day Corrado, as much as we hate to admit it right down to the V6 engine and electric spoiler on the back!

 

Just a shame it was so damn ugly!!