In July of 2010 Porsche announced a long-term agreement between the Board of Management and the Group Works Council to secure its production capacity. Included in the agreement is a provision to “draw on the production capacities of the Volkswagen corporation” should vehicle production reach capacity in Zuffenhausen. Well, that’s exactly what happened recently as Porsche begins to partially produce its Boxster model at Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH.
According to the information supplied by Porsche, the move is necessary, as Porsche’s main factory in Stuttgart doesn’t have enough capacity to handle demand. In Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen the new Porsche 911 and the new Boxster are being made in a mixed model operation on one production line.
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 utilizing 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.”
Many may not be aware, but Porsche has a history of outsourcing. In fact, more than 200,000 Porsches (Boxsters and Caymans) were produced in Finland at Porsche’s Finnish outsourcing partner Valmet before that contract ended. However, this is the first time since the 914 that a Porsche badged vehicle will be fully assemble at a VW plant.
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