VW raises car production to 8,686 in March

Volkswagen Bratislava, the Slovak unit of German car maker Volkswagen AG, said on April 17 it had produced 8,686 cars in March, an increase of 2,837 over February. VW, which bought a share in the Bratislava plant in 1992 and became its sole owner in 1995, said in February it planned to treble its annual output in 1998 to 120,000 cars. VW invested 110.6 million marks in the Bratislava plant in 1997, mainly in new technology and measures designed to increase worker productivity. VW Bratislava produces a range of VW automobiles, most of which are exported, including the Passat BV and various Golf models.