PLUTA restructuring expert Susanne Hesse secures investor for Autohaus Galant

. Insolvency administrator Ms Susanne Hesse from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH has found a follow-up solution for Autohaus Galant GmbH based in Schleusingen, having kept it operating for eight months. Effective 1 July 2025, she has sold the business to Autohaus AHAG mbH, a nearby car dealership, by way of an asset deal.

The buyer has kept on all four employees and one trainee, and intends to re-establish a vehicle sales partnership agreement with Mitsubishi. The workshop operations have been maintained since the company filed for insolvency in October 2024 and are being handed over seamlessly to the new operator. The Königstraße location will be preserved.

Ms Susanne Hesse said, “Despite difficult conditions, we have kept Galant operating for several months, even after the proceedings had been opened. We have achieved the best possible outcome for the business with this solution.”

Mr Wolfgang Sieder, managing director of Autohaus AHAG mbH, said, “The situation with the Staffel group of dealerships is very regrettable. It has been a familiar presence in the region for decades. These are challenging times for automotive companies. We are therefore all the more pleased for all involved and the customers that a good solution has been found together with Ms Hesse despite everything. We very much look forward to serving customers of the Staffel group of dealerships.”

When it was founded in 1990, Autohaus AHAG mbH was South Thuringia’s first authorised Mazda dealer. Today, the company is a multi-brand dealership based in Schleusingen, where it services and sells Mazda, Suzuki and Volvo vehicles. New and second-hand vehicles are available on attractive terms at its Königstraße and Ilmenauer Straße operations.

Solutions found for other locations

Galant was part of the Staffel group of dealerships headquartered in Hildburghausen in the state of Thuringia, which had to file for insolvency last year. The Local Court of Meiningen opened all five insolvency proceedings for the assets of the Staffel Group in early 2025 and appointed three restructuring experts as insolvency administrators – Mr Dirk Götze from law firm FRH as well as Mr Sebastian Laboga and Ms Susanne Hesse from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH. Overall, the group consisted of five companies operating car dealerships at several locations in Thuringia and Bavaria. Solutions for the three locations in Coburg, Suhl and Sonneberg had already been found during the group’s insolvency proceedings – the individual car dealerships have been sold to various investors, despite the challenging circumstances. Unfortunately, no investor was willing to carry on the dealership in Kronach and no solution could be found for the main location in Hildburghausen.

PLUTA attorney Mr Sebastian Laboga is insolvency administrator for the main company, Autohaus M. Staffel GmbH & Co. KG in Hildburghausen. Business lawyer Ms Susanne Hesse from PLUTA is insolvency administrator for Autohaus Galant GmbH based in Schleusingen. The local court appointed attorney Mr Dirk Götze from law firm FRH as insolvency administrator for Autohaus Staffel Coburg GmbH, Autohaus Staffel Kronach GmbH and Autohaus Staffel Suhl GmbH.

Deichmann Corporate Finance GmbH has conducted the process of finding investors for all of the locations.