--- title: "Recaro Files for Bankruptcy Four Years After Being Sold to Private Equity" description: "Recaro, one of the oldest names in [automotive seating](), filed for bankruptcy in a German court on Monday. The firm employs 215 workers at its factory in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany, and the filing caught staff by surprise, who weren't…" date: "2024-07-30" modified: "2024-07-30" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/tech/recaro-files-for-bankruptcy-four-years-after-being-sold-to-private-equity" categories: - "Aftermarket" - "Car Tech" - "News" --- # Recaro Files for Bankruptcy Four Years After Being Sold to Private Equity ![Close up on branding of Recaro seats in the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST.]() *Recaro seats in the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST. \Ford\* Recaro, one of the oldest names in [automotive seating](), filed for bankruptcy in a German court on Monday. The firm employs 215 workers at its factory in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany, and the filing caught staff by surprise, who weren't even informed beforehand according to *[Autocar]()* citing local reports. While Recaro also builds seats for aircraft and—believe it or not—gaming, only the automotive division is insolvent, as it was sold to Johnson Controls in 2011. Johnson Controls morphed into Adient, which [sold the company to Detroit-based Raven Acquisitions](), a private investment firm, four years ago. The original Recaro company licenses its name to Recaro Automotive, and Recaro Automotive of Germany stated in a [press release]() that its global subsidiaries are unaffected by this filing. Germany's IG Metall trade union pressed the firm's management for more transparency and plans to meet with staff representatives in the coming days, according to *[Auto Bild]()*. Recaro Automotive's collapse would seem to have been a while coming, as the publication reported that "for years" employees waived pay to benefit the company's "economic stabilization." ![]() *Recaro seats in the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST. *Ford** Recaro's history began in 1906 when the company was founded as *Stuttgarter Carrosserie und Radfabrik*, or Stuttgart Body and Wheel. The brand name Recaro and the subsequent switch to focus on seating occurred in 1963 after [Porsche]() acquired the body portion of the business. Ever since, Recaro's developed a reputation both in manufacturing aftermarket seats, for enthusiast and professional racing applications, as well as original equipment for automakers. Anyone who's ever owned or driven a [Fiesta ST]() with them knows that the Recaro seats were the ones to have. This is all very fresh, so it remains to be seen how Recaro will go on in the automotive realm beyond this. The car seat division's recent path of bouncing between various corporate entities before winding up at the inevitable, miserable conclusion of a private investment firm strikes a stark contrast to the rest of the group's relative stability, continuing under the same leadership in Stuttgart. Whatever happens next, an enthusiast institution hangs in the balance. *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()