VW to buy 42% stake in Porsche sports car unit

WOLFSBURG/STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) -- Volkswagen AG agreed today to buy a 42 percent stake in the sports car unit of debt-ridden Porsche Automobil Holding SE in another step toward combining the two German carmakers into a European automotive giant.

VW will pay up to 3.3 billion euros ($4.7 billion) this year for the initial stake in the unit, Porsche AG, paving the way for the creation of an integrated automotive group by the end of 2011, VW and Porsche said in statements after board meetings. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who is poised to run the combined entity and was named head of Porsche SE on Thursday, said the deal marked "a new era" for both companies. "Porsche is a real enrichment for our company's portfolio," he said. The combined company will have 10 brands, adding the Porsche marquee to a stable that already includes Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Skoda, Seat and Lamborghini. To finance the purchase, Volkswagen plans a capital increase of preference shares in the first half of 2010, VW said.

Piech's triumph Porsche's surrender comes at the end of a months-long power struggle that eventually led to the departure of Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking. It marks a triumph for Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn and VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech. Porsche had sought to seize control over Volkswagen -- already Europe's biggest carmaker -- as a way to gain access to key components and technologies it needs to meet stringent new pollution rules. That left it with just over half of VW votes. But Porsche's takeover attempt backfired after it took on more than 10 billion euros in debt, forcing it to seek help from Volkswagen. VW supplies components for about a third of all Porsche cars, including bodies of the four-door Cayenne and Panamera models. VW's powerful labor chief welcomed the agreement. "Today industrial history was made," Bernd Osterloh said. In a further step to alleviate Porsche SE's debt, Porsche's controlling families will sell their automobile trading business Porsche Holding, Europe's largest dealer group, to Volkswagen. The business, with an enterprise value of 3.55 billion euros, will be sold by 2011. Porsche also aims to raise capital by issuing new ordinary and preferred shares, probably in the first half of 2011.

Qatar stake The Porsche and Piech families will remain the largest shareholders in the company to arise from the combination of VW and Porsche SE, Winterkorn said. VW's home state of Lower Saxony, which owns a stake of 20 percent in Volkswagen, will retain the right to block important decisions and to nominate two members of the supervisory board. The completion of the sweeping deal depends on the approval of Porsche creditor banks and a final clarification of structural issues, Porsche said. The deal is set to make the Gulf state of Qatar the third-largest investor in the combined company, VW's CEO said, without specifying how large a stake the state will hold.

Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn to be Porsche SE boss, sources say

Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn is set to also become CEO of Porsche Automobil Holding SE, two people familiar with the matter said.

One source said that Winterkorn wants to "assume responsibility" at Porsche SE, which owns the Porsche sports car company and holds Porsche's 51 percent stake in VW.

The holding company was forced by debt troubles to abandon efforts to seize full control of Europe's biggest carmaker.

The supervisory boards of both German carmakers were poised to address the issue at separate meetings on Thursday, one of the sources said.

Volkswagen's supervisory board is also set to approve the purchase of a minority stake in family-owned Porsche SE's healthy sports car business, Porsche AG, as a first step in integrating the two German carmakers.

At Porsche SE, Winterkorn would succeed Wendelin Wiedeking, who was CEO of the holding company and Porsche AG but departed after losing a power struggle with VW.

Wiedeking's post as the head of Porsche AG was filled last month by Michael Macht.

Two VW supervisory board members told Reuters on Wednesday that Volkswagen and Porsche had broadly agreed on details for a deal to combine two of Europe's most storied automakers.

Volkswagen is set to buy a stake of up to 49 percent in Porsche AG in a first step toward creating an "integrated" automotive group by the end of 2011.

Analysts value Porsche's sports car business, which makes the famed 911 models, between 8 billion and 11 billion euros ($11.4 billion and $15.7 billion).

Porsche, VW May Be Dubbed 'Auto Union'

As Porsche and Volkswagen work out details of their eventual merger, Reuters reports the companies may resurrect the Auto Union name. The moniker was previously used in the 1930s for the company that evolved into Audi.

Porsche and Volkswagen continue to work on a deal.

Porsche and Volkswagenhave broadly agreed on sale terms, and the name Auto Union may be resurrected, Reutersreports.

The new entity could be led by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, and Porsche would retain some independence — similar to Audi's setup within the Volkswagen Group. Porsche would be the 10th brand in the company.

VW would buy up to 49 percent of the Porsche sports-car business, the first step in an integration of the two companies that would be completed in 2011, according to Reuters.

Auto Union is a famous name that dates to the 1930s, and its cars were legendary racers. The company has since evolved into Audi.

The sale is a reversal after Porsche's attempts to take over its much larger rival, VW, failed.

Fiat approved to buy Bertone coachbuilding business

Fiat S.p.A.'s bid for Carrozzeria Bertone S.p.A. was approved by Italian Industry Minister Claudio Scajola Thursday.

Fiat will invest 150 million euros ($215.9 million) over three years in the struggling contract manufacturer that has produced models ranging from the Lamborghini Miura to the Volkswagen Polo during its 96 years in business.

The other bidders for the coachbuilder included Italian entrepreneurs Gianmario Rossignolo and Domenico Reviglio.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says that the automaker is interested in Bertone's Turin plant for niche vehicle production.

Fiat declined to say which niche model or models it would make at Bertone's Turin factory. The only detail the company gave was that the vehicles would be sold in Europe and North America.

Fiat has a controlling stake in Chrysler Group and plans to relaunch the Fiat brand in the United States in early 2011. The U.S. relaunch of Fiat-owned subsidiary Alfa Romeo is planned for the end of 2011.

The Italian press has speculated that starting in the second half of 2011 Fiat could use the Bertone plant make everything from convertibles to large sedans.

Rossignolo planned to use the plant to produce up to 10,000 units a year of a luxury sedan and SUV.

Finally got it

The Bertone family lost control of the coachbuilding business when bankruptcy administrators took control in February 2008. The Bertone design business, which remains in the hands of the Bertone family, was not affected by the collapse of the contract manufacturing unit.

This was Fiat's second attempt this decade to take control of Bertone's coachbuilding business. In 2006, Fiat started negotiations to buy a controlling stake in the company. It planned to make a coupe cabriolet for the Lancia brand at the plant.

For undisclosed reasons, the talks between Fiat and Bertone collapsed in spring 2007. Shortly after that, Fiat scrapped plans to make the coupe cabriolet, which was known as the Fulvia.

Bertone, founded in November 1912, is Italy's oldest contract manufacturer. The company stopped volume production in December 2005.

Bertone still employs about 1,140 people, down from the 1,450-person work force it had at the end of 2007.