Karmann Terminates Production

One of the biggest independent automotive manufacturers in Germany, Karmann, is now entering one of the most difficult times they've experienced in over a century. The manufacturer has rolled out what they themselves call "our last car", a Mercedes Benz CLK convertible and is now bracing for a long and tough restructuring process. The announcement comes after back in April, the manufacturer already filed for bankruptcy.

"Today, the last car built entirely by Karmann rolled off the assembly line," the company said in a release. "We could no longer avoid shutting down the vehicle assembly line because auto manufacturers' strategies have changed," Ottmar Hermann, the company's administrator added.

Out of the more than 8,000 employees it had at the peak of its business, Karman is now left with only 2,000. The restructuring process and what lies ahead for both the employees and the company are still uncertain.

One of the biggest reasons for this outcome is the fact that Mercedes Benz will terminate the CLK coupe and cabriolet lines. The CLK coupe will be replaced by the already released E-Klasse coupe, while a convertible version will be launched later on to replace the Karmann built vehicle.

Karmann was founded in 1901, when Wilhelm Karmann took over the factory of the coach-builder Christian Klages at Osnabruck. Since then, the manufacturer has worked together with Chrysler, Porsche, Volkswagen and of course, Daimler, but the list is much, much longer.

Their most know vehicle is the Karmann Ghia, marketed from 1955 to 1974 by Volkswagen, as either a four seater coupe or a convertible. The Ghia, built on the Beetle chassis, sold 443,482 units during that time.