Austria’s Magna Steyr is to replace Finland’s Valmet Automotive as Porsche’s contract assembler when a current deal to build the mid-engine Boxster and Cayman ends in 2012.
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Porsche said on Thursday that Magna secured the contract “because it submitted the most financially attractive offer, and because it is in a position to take on development tasks.”.
Porsche SE deputy chairman said: “Over the last 11 years, Valmet has built more than 200,000 sports cars of outstanding quality for us. Our decision not to continue our successful cooperation is in no way a vote against Valmet. Rather, it was the high development capacity and competence of our future partner that tipped the balance in [their] favour.”
From 2012, Boxster series production beyond the capacity of Porsche’s own factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany, will be contracted out to Magna Steyr in Graz.
“Further synergies arise from the numerous supply relations between Porsche and the Magna Group: the enterprise already manufactures many important components for Porsche,” the German automaker added.
Graz’s contract to assemble most non-North American market Chrysler minivans ended when the model was redesigned recently and it will also end production of BMW’s X3 small SUV when that shifts to the US with the redesigned model in 2010.
But it recently secured contracts to build a new Mini ‘sports activity’ model and an Aston Martin sedan and, reportedly, has inked a deal to build a new Peugeot 308-based coupe as well.
