The MZ motorcycles company in eastern Germany will close at the end of 2008, says the Freie Presse newspaper.
MZ has produced motorcycles since 1922 and operated for many years under the communist East German government. The Malaysian company Hong Leong Industries took over the plant in 1996 but has been unable to turn a profit.
MZ had been able to carry on thanks to a subsidy from the eastern German state of Saxony, but that money dries up at the end of the year, leading to Hong Leong’s decision to close down the operation. About 40 workers will lose their jobs.
MZ stands for Motorcycle works Zschopau, which is the town in the Ore Mountains where the plant is located, according to the Earth Times website.
The company has built some attractive motorcycles in recent years (and some damn ugly ones before that – Ed). Check out the German-language MZ website for movies and fotös of their current (but soon-to-be-extinct) range.
