The German automaker Volkswagen has a long history with the independent motor vehicle manufacturing firm Karmann, most notably the classic VW Karmann Ghia->ke1166 that was styled by the Carrozzeria Ghia and constructed by the coach builder Karmann. More recently the Volkswagen Group announced that they have acquired the land, machinery and equipment at the Osnabrück site that formerly belonged to the Karmann holding company. The best part about the acquisition is that VW is planning on setting up a new manufacturing subsidiary and eventually break ground on a new project.

Production at the Osnabrück facility isn't scheduled to begin until 2011, however current projections detail the creation of over 1,000 jobs by the year 2014. There has been no mention of whether VW will keep the Karmann staff on for the new project, however it would be foolish to let all of those experienced automotive craftsmen go due to their extensive experience building limited edition vehicles. One of the models that will be built at the Osnabrück site is the Volkswagen BlueSport diesel roadster as well as a drop top Cabrio version of the next generation Golf->ke164 VI. It's always nice to see old friends getting back together.

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