First Porsche Boxster rolls-off the production line at Volkswagen Osnabruck

The Volkswagen plant at Osnabruck started series production of the Porsche Boxster. 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 Muller, 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 Osnabruck, 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 Osnabruck production line. The Indian red Boxster S with black roof went to a customer in Bavaria, Germany.

"The production of the Porsche Boxster in Osnabrück is a clear sign that Volkswagen and Porsche are growing together fast. Production in Osnabruck creates synergy effects that will benefit customers, employees and the plant," said Prof. Winterkorn.

"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 Osnabruck will relieve a bottleneck, as the capacity available at Porsche's Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen plant is currently not adequate.

Matthias Muller explained the decision to produce the new Boxster at Osnabruck by mentioning the special competence of the Osnabruck team. "The key factor in this decision was the very good expertise of the workforce at Volkswagen Osnabruck. 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 Osnabruck, will secure jobs and confirms the skills of employees in our city where automobiles have been produced for more than 100 years."

Osnabruck 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 Osnabruck. 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 Osnabruck plant supplied the rear end and side components right from the start. The headcount at Volkswagen's Osnabruck plant is currently more than 1,800.

Posted in: Assembly/Manufacturing Plant,Boxster,David McAllister,Europe,Luxury,Matthias Muller,Porsche,Porsche AG,Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn,Volkswagen,Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft,Volkswagen Osnabruck Plant