Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück, Germany. Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialised in various automotive roles, including design, production and assembly of components for a wide variety of automobile manufacturers, including Chrysler, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group.
The company was broken up in 2010, after filing for bankruptcy the previous year. Its convertible roof components were purchased by Webasto, Magna Steyr and Valmet Automotive, while the Osnabrück assembly plant, vehicle development, tools and assembly systems were transferred to Volkswagen.
History
1950: The Beetle Cabriolet Karmann was established in 1901 when Wilhelm Karmann purchased Klages, a coachbuilder founded in 1874, and renamed the business. The company then grew together with the expanding automobile industry. Karmann became known for its work on convertibles, coupés, and other niche models.
After World War II and the reconstruction of the plant destroyed in the war, Karmann turned its focus on contract manufacturing and development for Volkswagen. As early as 1935/36, Ferdinand Porsche had asked Karmann to investigate the possibilities of developing a prototype for a Volkswagen convertible. The chaos of the war prevented the idea from being pushed forward, as well as the cooperation with Volkswagen from starting 15 years earlier. On 1 August 1949, Wilhelm Karmann signed an order from Volkswagen for 1,000 "four-seater, four-wing convertible Type 15" - the Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet. By 1999, Karmann’s cumulative production across all models — including the Beetle Cabriolet, Karmann-Ghia, and contract work for other manufacturers — had reached approximately 2.5 million vehicles.Speech manuscript of Dr. Ferdinand Piëch „Rede zur Feier der 50jährigen Zusammenarbeit von Karmann und Volkswagen" (celebration of 50 years cooperation between Karmann & Volkswagen), Osnabrück, 30 November 1999.Karmann Magazine, December 1999: Article: Wie aus 25 Fahrzeugen 2,5 Millionen werden
1955: The Karmann Ghia The VW Karmann Ghia Type 14 is Karmann's best-known vehicle. Wilhelm Karmann Jr. conceived the idea in 1953, one year after taking over his father's car body company in Osnabrück. Karmann wanted to produce a sporty and open two-seater on the technical basis of the VW Beetle. Volkswagen was also interested in a sporty roadster that would be loved by American soldiers stationed in Europe and taken to the USA.
Luigi Segre, the boss of Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, was included in the plan on the occasion of the Geneva Automobile Salon. A chassis of the beetle was shipped from Osnabrück to Italy and Segre put a self-designed body on the chassis. To Karmann's amazement, Segre presented him in Paris not a roadster, but a coupé.
Shortly afterwards, the automobile artwork was presented to the VW General Director back in Osnabrück. VW boss Heinrich Nordhoff liked the coupé with its flowing lines and rounded shapes, so he agreed to build the car on the same day. In the first year of production, a total of 10,000 coupés were delivered instead of the planned 3,000 units.
The VW Karmann Ghia became a sales success with over 360,000 units, even if the performance of the car with only 30 HP and 115 km/h top speed did not correspond to the sporty appearance. 1957 followed the Karmann Ghia Cabriolet and 1961 the bigger Type 34, the Karmann Ghia 1550, the design of which also came from Carrozzeria Ghia.
In the quantities produced by Karmann, the Karmann Ghia coupés and convertibles were later slightly surpassed by both the Golf Cabriolet and the Scirocco; only when the first Karmann Ghia types were added together via the coupé and convertible was the Karmann Ghia the most successful Karmann vehicle.
1960s-2010: Further Contracts In addition to the Beetle Cabriolet and Karmann Ghia, all cabriolet variants of the VW Golf, as well as the Scirocco and Corrado, were built by Karmann. The 1960s saw the expansion of the company, and further vehicle plants were set up in São Bernardo do Campo (Brazil) and Rheine. In the years after 1965, complete vehicles and bodies of the BMW New Class Coupé, and its successor, the larger E9, were produced in Rheine. BMW handled the installation of the engine and final assembly at the Munich plant. Karmann also built complete cars for Porsche to increase production of the 912 and 911 models.
Karmann assembled complete knock down (CKD) kits in an agreement with American Motors (AMC). In 1968, AMC introduced the Javelin, a new competitor in the U.S. "pony car" segment. AMC did not have a manufacturing subsidiary in Europe, therefore, Karmann assembled the American-designed car for distribution in Europe. Karmann built the cars in Rheine with V8 engines. About 90% of the necessary components were shipped by boat from the U.S. All were SST trim versions and their name, Javelin 79-K stood for AMC's "79" model number and the "K" for Karmann.
In 1969, they began manufacturing the Porsche 914, and they made all four-cylinder cars. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Karmann produced the bodyshells of the BMW 6 Series Coupé and the Ford Escort RS Cosworth convertible models for the Ford Escort as complete vehicles. From the beginning of the 1990s, European-market Kia Sportages, and from 1997, the Audi Cabriolet (type 89), and the Audi A4 Cabriolet (from 2002), as well as the Chrysler Crossfire (2003) and the Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet (A209, 2003) were produced as complete vehicles. Production of VW's Vento/Jetta (1992/93) and the Golf Variant A3 (1997/99) also shifted from Volkswagen in Wolfsburg to Karmann in Osnabrück.Karmann at a glance (press information of Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, December 2008)
From 1985 to 1989, Karmann produced the Merkur XR4Ti (an American-market version of the Ford Sierra for the Merkur brand); and from 2003 to 2007, the Chrysler Crossfire coupe and convertible for Chrysler, at the time DaimlerChrysler. Many Karmann-built vehicles feature a small wagon wheel emblem, the coat of arms of Osnabrück, where the company was founded. A large part of the development of the Crossfire was carried out independently by Karmann, and the vehicle was produced at its Osnabrück facility. Karmann U.S. also supplied the top subassemblies for the convertible variants of both the third-generation Chrysler Sebring and the Ford Mustang.
A small number of vehicles were also produced in Brazil (São Bernardo do Campo). The Osnabrück facility also produced the chassis and body panels of the Spyker C8 Spyder.
The production facilities in Osnabrück, Chorzów, Poland; Yokohama, Japan; Sunderland, UK; Puebla, Mexico; and Plymouth Township, U.S.; manufactured roof systems for convertibles. These included the Mercedes-Benz CLK, the Renault Mégane CC, the Nissan Micra C+C, the Pontiac G6, the Chrysler Sebring, the Ford Mustang, the Bentley Continental, the BMW 1 Series, and the Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet.
Production to 2010
Since its beginning in 1901, Karmann built more than three million complete vehicles of the models as follows, exceptions as indicated: car make / typeyearsnumber of carscommentsAMC Javelin 79-K coupé1968281Built in RheineAudi Cabriolet1997–200012,112Built in RheineAudi A4 cabriolet & Audi S4 cabriolet & Audi RS4 (B7) cabriolet2002–200881,959 B6 and B7https://leftlanenews.com/2008/02/18/karmann-contract-to-produce-audi-a4-cabrio-set-to-expire-this-year (Built in Rheine)BMW 2000 C/CS1965–197013,696only body in white (Built in Rheine)BMW E91971–197521,147Built in RheineBMW 6-Series1976–198986,314Chrysler Crossfire coupé2003–200837,896Chrysler Crossfire convertible2003–200816,269Ford Escort FEC convertible1983–1990104,237Built in RheineFord Escort convertible1990–199780,620Built in RheineFord Escort RS Cosworth1992–19968,082Built in RheineMerkur XR4Ti1985–198942,000U.S. version of the Ford Sierra XR4i(Built in Rheine)Land Rover Defender2002–20052,777Built in BrazilMercedes-Benz CLK-Class (A208) cabriolet1998–2003115,264Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class (C208) coupé2000–200228,706Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class (A209) cabriolet2003–2008 Nissan Micra C+C2006–2010 Porsche 356 B Hardtop1961-1962<2,300 Porsche 9111966–1971 911, 911T, and 911E coupes onlyPorsche 9121966–1969 coupe onlyPorsche 9141969–1976118,949Porsche 9681991–199411,803only body in whiteRenault 19 convertible1990–199629,222body in white and soft topsRenault Mégane I convertible1996–200374,096body in white and soft topsRenault Mégane CC2004-2010 only retractable hardtopsTriumph TR61969–197694,619 Volkswagen Beetle convertible1949–1980331,847Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupé1955–1974362,601Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible1957–197480,881Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 341961–196942,505Volkswagen Golf Mk1 convertible1979–1993388,522Volkswagen Corrado1988–199597,521Volkswagen Golf Mk3 convertible1993–1997129,475Volkswagen Golf Mk3 Variant1997–199980,928Volkswagen Golf "Mk4" convertible1997–200182,588Updated Golf Mk3Volkswagen Scirocco I1974–1981504,153Volkswagen Scirocco II1981–1992291,497
Car modules Chassis Chrysler Crossfire Coupé 2001–2007 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster 2003–2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK Spyker C8 Spyder Roof modules Audi A4 and Audi S4 Cabriolet, 2001 Bentley Continental GTC convertible, 2006 BMW 1 Series convertible Mercedes CLK convertible Nissan Micra C+C retractable hardtop, 2005 Renault Mégane CC retractable hardtop, 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet Pontiac G6 retractable hardtop, 2007 Chrysler Sebring retractable hardtop and convertible softtop, 2007 Ford Mustang convertible, 2007
Motorhomes
The first Karmann motorhomes were launched in 1974 based on the Volkswagen Type 2 'Bay Window' chassis. The bodies were of a sandwich structure. These motorhomes had two beds, kitchen, shower, waste water tank, rear body supports, leisure battery, toilet, water heater and gas heating. Options included the luggage rack over the driver's cab. Approximately 1,000 units were produced through 1979.
With the introduction of the Volkswagen T2/3 - also known as the (T3/Vanagon/Transporter/T25) in 1979, the motorhomes received a permanent overhead area with a bed for two people. Called Karmann Gipsy, 741 were made between 1980 and 1992. This number excludes 30 or more Type 3 Syncro models made between 1986 and 1989, and 7 Syncro 16" models made between 1991 and 1992. In addition 113 Cheetah T2/3's were manufactured between 1986 and 1990 to make a total 891 Volkswagen T3 Karmann Coachbuilt Motorhomes - all produced in Karmann Rheine factory and not at Osnabruck as commonly believed.
From 1978 to 1996, a total of 3,103 Volkswagen LT-based models were produced. These included the LT "M", LT "L 1", LT "L 2", LT "L Distance Wide", LT "L Distance-Wide Gold", LT "H Distance-Wide", LT "H Distance-Wide Gold", LT "S Distance-Wide" and the top-of-the-line LT "Distance-Wide Autovilla".
In 1991, the Karmann motorhome design was updated and based on the Volkswagen T4. The Gipsy and Cheetah models names were retained in the form of the Gipsy I (SWB) and Cheetah (LWB). In 1996 two new models were introduced namely the Colorado and Missouri. The Volkswagen Transporter (T5)-based versions were introduced in 2003.The Karmann Coachbuilt Club
Insolvency proceedings On 8 April 2009, Karmann filed for insolvency proceedings due to the sharp decline in demand for cars, and the company's financial obligations. The employment protection contracts of the large OEMs with the unions and the technological progress in vehicle construction led to the fact that the production of niche vehicles was no longer outsourced, but rather carried out within the OEM production network. Volkswagen, Karmann's longtime partner, revealed on 24 October that it had made an offer to acquire the company.