BERLIN, June 27: A hailstorm in northwestern Germany damaged up to 30,000 vehicles at a Volkswagen plant, causing losses that could amount to $157m, a spokesman said on Friday.

His remarks were in line with a report in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, saying that on Sunday, hail the size of tennis balls slammed into 30,000 new cars parked at a factory in Emden and at a port in the city.

“We are inspecting the cars with the help of experts sent from other VW plants,” to determine the extent of the damage to bodywork and paint, the spokesman said.

VW would not suffer financially from the event however, because it was insured against such storms, he added.—AFP