Webasto, the German supplier best known for sunroofs and parking heaters, plans to sell its battery systems business. CEO Jörg Buchheim and chief restructuring officer Johann Stohner spoke at the company's 125th anniversary event in Stockdorf on Oct. 29, as reported by Handelsblatt, Automobilwoche and Reuters.
The deal
- Two strategic investors from the industry are in advanced talks, and "both interested in a complete takeover," Buchheim said, according to electrive.
- Stohner wants a decision this year. No price has been disclosed.
- Dr. Web reports, citing Reuters, that Webasto wants to use the proceeds to cut debt from €1.5 billion to under €1 billion. The high-voltage heater business and a heater plant in Poland are also for sale.
The business
Webasto started making battery packs in Schierling, Germany, in 2019 and later opened a plant in Dangjin, South Korea, to supply Hyundai-Kia, which is still its anchor customer. The unit had about €300 million in revenue in 2025. It is growing but losing money, and its business plan forecasts a turnaround in 2027, electrive reports. Buchheim said it is too small to compete with Chinese suppliers, according to Dr. Web.
"We do not need to make distress sales," Buchheim told Automobilwoche, saying the restructuring is funded even without sales. Dr. Web reports that Webasto has cut 2,000 of 15,000 jobs, half of them in Germany, and that group revenue stagnated at €4 billion in 2025.