Boxster goes to Osnabrück......Full order books in Stuttgart call for extra production at Volkswagen factory

As of today, Porsche has begun partially producing its Boxster model at Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH. This step is necessary, as Porsche’s main factory in Stuttgart does not have enough capacity to cope with demand.

The first vehicle to roll off the Osnabrück line was an Indian red Boxster S. In attendance for the start of Boxster production in Osnabrück were Minister President of Lower Saxony David McAllister, Lord Mayor of Osnabrück Boris Pistorius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn as well as President and CEO of Porsche AG Matthias Müller.

“Taking on production of the Boxster here in Osnabrück shows that the site has established itself within the Volkswagen Group as a centre of excellence for cabriolet and small series production. I am delighted that as of today rolling of our production line here in Lower Saxony will be Porsche vehicles that stand for premium quality ‘Made in Germany’ all around the world,” emphasised Minister President McAllister.


Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG Prof. Dr. Winterkorn said at the production start:
“The Boxster production in Osnabrück is a clear sign of the rapid coalescence of Volkswagen and Porsche. Production in Osnabrück means creating synergies that will benefit customers, staff and location alike.”
Porsche President and CEO Müller explained: “Due to the way things are in Stuttgart there is no easy way to expand our main factory. Over the next few years, we will be fully utilising our own production capacity predominantly with the 911 model. We therefore looked for a partner for producing the Boxster. The decisive factor in our choice was the great expertise of the workforce at Volkswagen Osnabrück. Our sports cars are in very good hands there. After all, we all have the same concept of quality. Osnabrück will become a part of our success story.”

Great Wall stretches to Ireland................

I.M. Automotive (Ireland), current distributors of Subaru in Ireland has announced the introduction of Chinese auto maker, Great Wall Motor Company Limited, into Ireland.

This will be the first time that the Chinese car maker has sold vehicles in Ireland and first on sale will be the Steed double-cab pick-up truck. On board is an economical 2.0 litre diesel engine delivering in excess of 30 MPG on a combined cycle. Standard equipment includes 16" alloy wheels, leather upholstery with heated seats and bluetooth. The company will take a stand at the up-coming National Ploughing Championships in New Ross where they will be able to connect face-to-face with the Irish farming community. I expect Subaru dealers around the country should double up as Great Wall dealers with the starting price of the Steed at a competitive EUR 21,995 excluding vat @ 23 %.

Details can be found at www.greatwallmotors.ie 

The Great Wall Motor Company, one of the few privately-owned Chinese car companies, has designed and built all of the European-bound models specifically to meet EU whole-vehicle type approval standards.  This will ensure that Great Wall models deliver high standards of crash-worthiness, equal to those of modern European and Japanese vehicles.