First Porsche Boxster rolls off the
production line at Volkswagen Osnabrück
Wolfsburg / Osnabrück - The Volkswagen
plant at Osnabrück started series production of the Porsche Boxster
today. The official ceremony on the production line was attended by
Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of
Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, David McAllister, Minister-President of
Lower Saxony, and Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management
of Porsche AG. Volkswagen and Porsche completed the creation of an
integrated automotive group together in August and are now able to
significantly intensify their cooperation.
Together with Winterkorn and McAllister,
Boris Pistorius, Mayor of Osnabrück, Hubert Waltl, Member of the Board
of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility
for Production and Logistics, and Wolfgang Leimgruber, Member of the
Board of Management of Production and Logistics, Porsche AG, were
present as the first Porsche Boxster rolled off the Osnabrück production
line. The Indian red Boxster S with black roof went to a customer in
Bavaria, Germany.
At the production line ceremony, Prof.
Winterkorn said: "The production of the Porsche Boxster in Osnabrück is
a clear sign that Volkswagen and Porsche are growing together fast.
Production in Osnabrück creates synergy effects that will benefit
customers, employees and the plant."
"The start of Boxster production in
Osnabrück shows that the plant has established itself as a competence
center for convertible and small series production within the Volkswagen
Group. I am very pleased that Porsches representing premium quality made
in Germany are now rolling off the production line here in Lower
Saxony," Minister-President McAllister underlined.
Porsche is producing the Boxster in a
model mix with the Porsche 911 at its main plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
Production at Osnabrück will relieve a bottleneck, as the capacity
available at Porsche's Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen plant is currently not
adequate.
Matthias Müller explained the decision to
produce the new Boxster at Osnabrück by mentioning the special
competence of the Osnabrück team. "The key factor in this decision was
the very good expertise of the workforce at Volkswagen Osnabrück. Our
sports cars are in the best hands here. After all, we all have the same
understanding of quality. Osnabrück will become part of our success
story."
Mayor Pistorius underlined the
significance of the Porsche contract for the plant. "The Boxster will
provide additional impetus for the economy in Osnabrück, will secure
jobs and confirms the skills of employees in our city where automobiles
have been produced for more than 100 years."
Osnabrück can look back on a long
tradition of convertible and small series production. The plant in Lower
Saxony has already produced a number of Porsche models in the past,
including the 914 (from 1969 to 1976) and the 968 (from 1991 to 1994).
Since March 2011, Volkswagen has also produced the new Golf Cabriolet in
Osnabrück. The total capacity of the plant is about 100,000 vehicles per
year, including the body, paint and assembly shops. For the new Boxster,
which was initially assembled only in Stuttgart, the Osnabrück plant
supplied the rear end and side components right from the start. The
headcount at Volkswagen's Osnabrück plant is currently more than 1,800.
