Webasto SE is a company headquartered in Stockdorf, Germany, which makes sunroofs, hardtop convertible modules, heating and air-conditioning systems.

History

The company was founded by Werner Baier in 1901 as a bicycle spoke manufacturer. In 1997, the US

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on automobile safety regulations. NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Feder ...

investigated Webasto sunroof modules that shattered or blew off of 1991-1994 the

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Ford Bronco II ...

and Mazda Navajo. In 2021, after causing delay in the launch and delivery of the new

Ford Bronco The Ford Bronco is a model line of SUV, SUVs manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford. The first SUV model developed by the company, five generations of the Bronco were sold from the 1966 to 1996 model years. A sixth generation of ...

with low hardtop production, Webasto delivered roof modules with cosmetic defects, turning to a discolored honeycomb pattern. Already-sold models had their tops replaced. Ford scrapped the replaced parts.

Coronavirus outbreak

Webasto owns 11 locations in China, including in

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

. In late January 2020, the company disclosed that five of its workers had tested positive to

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...

. This was reportedly one of the first cases of person-to-person transmission of the virus outside China. The outbreak was handled internally within the company. The story was initially reported in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' as a case of successful containment of the outbreak. By March 2020, genome studies tracking mutations of the virus suggested that the Webasto outbreak had not been successfully contained, and was linked to a 'decent part' of the overall coronavirus outbreak in Europe. Genetic sequencing also linked the cluster of cases at Webasto's headquarters to the virus outbreak in northern Italy. In May 2020 some medical disprove this assumptions and confirm that the Webasto case remained isolated, while in July other studies identified the most common Italian strain as coming from Germany.

Autonomous driving

In 2022, Webasto joined forces with Bosch to develop a

self-driving car A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous car (AC), driverless car, robotic car or robo-car, is a car that is capable of operating with reduced or no human input. They are sometimes called robotaxis, though this term refers specifica ...

that will enable autonomous driving at Level 4. The company has integrated 25 sensors from Bosch into the roof of a prototype vehicle for this purpose.

Charging division

Webasto purchased AeroVironment's charging division in 2018. Webasto has offices in

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Monrovia is the fourth-oldest General-law municipality, general-law city in Los Angeles County and the L ...

and Planegg, Germany, for the EV charging division, as well as manufacturing facilities in Guanajuato, Mexico, Schaidt, Germany, and

Wuhan, China Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine national central cities and the second most livabl ...

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

had to recall over 9000 Webasto charging cords in 2023. After looking for a buyer for two years, Webasto sold a majority stake of the charging business to Transom Capital Group (a wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings) in 2024. The company had taken heavy financial losses from the division.

Current production of roof modules

* BMW Z4 (G29) (2018–present) * Mazda MX-5 RF (2016–present)

Past production of roof modules

* BMW 3 Series Cabriolet (E93) (2007-2013) * BMW 4 Series (F33) (2013–2020) * Daihatsu Copen (2002-2012) * Ferrari California (2008-2014) * Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet (2006-2010) * Mazda MX-5 Power Retractable Hard Top (2007-2015) * Mini Cabriolet (2004-2008) * Mitsubishi Colt CZC (2006-2012) *

Renault Wind The Renault Wind is a two-seater roadster by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. The Wind was originally a concept car unveiled in September 2004 at the Paris Motor Show as a 2+1 roadster. On February 2, 2010, Renault announced that th ...

(2010-2013) * Volkswagen Eos (2006-2015) *

Volvo C70 The Volvo C70 is a two-door, four-passenger sports GT manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2013 across two generations. The first generation (1996–2005) was available as both a coupé (1996–2002) and softtop convertible (1 ...

(2006-2013) * Porsche Cayenne GTS

Facilities

* Germany: Schierling (battery assembly) * USA: Detroit (Bronco hard tops), New Hudson (Bronco hard tops), Plymouth Township (Bronco soft tops) Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Fenton (Thermo & Comfort) * China:

Jiaxing Jiaxing (), alternately romanized as Kashing, is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province, China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the p ...

(battery, roof modules), 10 other locations * South Korea:

Dangjin Dangjin (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It stands on the south shore of the Bay of Asan. Dangjin borders Incheon, Pyeongtaek, and Hwaseong by sea, and Seosan, Yesan, and Asan by land. Its name means " Tang ferry," a ...

(battery assembly, opened 2022) * India * Japan * Mexico: Guanajuato (charging),

Irapuato Irapuato is a Mexican city and municipalities of Mexico, municipality located at the foot of the Arandas Hill (in Spanish Language, Spanish: ''Cerro de Arandas''), in the central region of the Mexican state, state of Guanajuato. It lies between the ...

(roof modules)

References

External links

* {{cite web, url=https://www.webasto-group.com/en/original-equipment/roof-systems/, website=webasto.com, title=Convertible Roof Systems Convertible top suppliers Auto parts suppliers of Germany