Israel's Aurelius Capital and Volkswagen's home state of Lower Saxony plan to take over the German automaker's Osnabrueck plant and convert it to defence production, in a move labour officials said could preserve about 1,400 of the site's 1,800 jobs. The deal offers a potential blueprint for other Volkswagen sites facing an uncertain future as Europe's largest carmaker embarks on its biggest ever restructuring. Volkswagen has warned that up to four German plants could face closure or repurposing unless alternative uses can be found amid weak demand, high costs and growing competition from China.