Iconic German brand to be revived

Teaser shows debut model planned for Geneva motor show. Picture: Borgward AG

Teaser shows debut model planned for Geneva motor show. Picture: Borgward AG

Published Feb 13, 2015

Share

Berlin - Germany’s legendary Borgward marque is to be revived, 54 years after the car brand vanished

A news report on Thursday said the Chinese investor behind the project would set up headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany's Motown.

Earlier, Autobild motoring magazine reported that the new Borgward aimed to reveal a debut model at the Geneva motor show, saying commercial vehicle company Beiqi Foton was behind the venture.

Foton bought the rights to the Borgward name in March 2014. Borgwards used to be made in Bremen, Germany.

German daily Westfalen Blatt said Foton was planning to export Borgward cars to Asia and Latin America, trading on Germany's tradition of engineering excellence. It quoted sources in the venture saying Stuttgart - home to both Daimler and Porsche - was chosen because of its many component suppliers.

MOTORING ELEGANCE

The newspaper said that after the Geneva unveiling, a larger sedan would be unveiled at the Frankfurt car show in September.

Previous attempts to revive the Borgward name have come to nothing. Germany's fourth-largest car company folded in 1961 after the state of Bremen refused the company a loan guarantee.

In its heyday the Borgward Isabella was a byword for motoring elegance in Germany, and Isabellas were driven by film stars, notably Italy's Marcello Mastroianni and Hollywood icon Paul Newman.

Autobild’s Christian Steiger commented: “Suppport from a Chinese multinational fits in well with Borgward's image, since this was a self-made company just like the new class of wealthy Chinese entrepreneurs.”

Sapa-dpa

Related Topics: