Karmann Karmann roof division - Cartel Office stops sales
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In December, the cartel office at the Takeover of the convertible roof system division of Edscha AG by Webasto found that there are only three convertible roof manufacturers in Europe. If the number should now decrease to two, that would be questionable from a competition point of view, said the spokeswoman. A decision should be made by the end of May.
Karmann can only wait
The insolvent Osnabrück auto parts supplier Karmann and Magna had put forward some arguments for a sale. 'The Federal Cartel Office has also investigated,' emphasized the spokeswoman. The sale is still being examined. 'We don't expect the case to turn around again and our view of things to change fundamentally.' But nothing has been decided yet.
A spokesman for the insolvency administrator Ottmar Hermann said he was holding back on comment. 'We can only wait.' If the Cartel Office refuses to give its approval, Hermann would have to start the search for investors again. In addition to the supplier Magna, who was a hot favorite for an Opel takeover until recently, the Spanish auto supplier CIE tried to buy the roof division of the traditional company Karmann.
BMW, Renault and Mercedes are Karmann customers
Hermann and Magna announced last week that they had agreed on a sale, but still the decision the Cartel Office would have to wait. 359 people work in roof production in Osnabrück and 362 in Zary in Poland. Karmann currently supplies, among other things, the tops for the convertible versions of the BMW 1 series, the Mercedes E-Class or the Renault Mégane.
V or almost one Year Karmann had to file for bankruptcy due to a lack of orders. The company's flagship, vehicle construction, was finally closed last summer. Hermann tries to sell the remaining parts of the company, roof systems, technical development and toolmaking (metal group). In the old Karmann plant, VW wants to start producing the Golf convertible from 2011. The Wolfsburg-based car company has now founded a subsidiary in Osnabrück.
