Recaro, Saved From Bankruptcy, to Resume Sport Seat Production
Sports car enthusiasts can rejoice: Recaro has just been saved from bankruptcy and will continue to manufacture its world-renowned sport and race seats.
Serious financial troubles caused by rising costs and the loss of a major contract forced the German company to file for bankruptcy on July 29, a stunning move that blindsided its 215 employees.
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Last week, however, a leading Italian parts supplier called Proma Group, which specializes in automotive components and employs over 5,000 people across 25 factories worldwide, threw Recaro a new lifeline with plans to relaunch production in January—both for OEM and the aftermarket.
Recaro seats will now be manufactured in Italy instead of Germany. A team of sales and technology specialists will remain based in Stuttgart to preserve Recaro’s expertise and customer relationships during the transition.
“Our investment in RECARO Automotive will strengthen our ability to deliver a premium seating product, while embracing the most cutting-edge innovations in the automotive sector,” Proma Group CEO Luca Pino said. “The RECARO name is renowned throughout the world as a benchmark of German industrial technology, and Proma Group, a symbol of Italian manufacturing excellence, is excited about the future and the quality that will be expressed in the automotive market thanks to the union of two first-class companies.”
Recaro AG (REutter CAROsserie) was founded in Switzerland in 1957 after the Reutter brothers sold their old coachbuilding factory to Porsche. The company previously worked on a Volkswagen Beetle prototype as well as the Porsche 356 body.
Today, Recaro seats can be found in a number of performance cars from Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Ford, Cadillac, Subaru and more. We definitely liked them in the new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse and 2024 WRX RS, among others. Don’t miss our full reviews.
