Volkswagen is exploring the option of buying into bankrupt Karmann, according to a report in the Financial Times Deutschland.

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Such a deal would be of interest for Christian Wulf, premier of the state of Lower Saxony, which is home to Karmann and a major shareholder in VW, the FT said.


The crisis-hit firm saw a light in the tunnel in July when it became known that VW plans to give Karmann an order. The firm is on the lookout for buyers for its convertible unit. A number of investors are said to have shown interest, FTD reported.


In June the contract convertible assembly specialist built its last car – a CLK convertible for Mercedes-Benz.


Karmann, founded in 1901, has built more than 3.3m convertibles since 1949, including the famous Volkswagen Karmann Ghias and Beetles, Ford Escorts, Mercedes CLKs and Audi cabriolets.

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The recent collapse of global auto markets sealed the company’s fate and it filed for insolvency on 8 April this year, saying it would focus on automotive parts production – such as sunroofs.

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