Porsche
to cooperate with Valmet until 2012 – Magna Steyr will be new partner
Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F.
Porsche AG, Stuttgart, will be continuing the successful cooperation on
the production of the mid-engine models Boxster and Cayman with the
Finnish manufacturing partner Valmet Automotive until the year 2012,
thus fulfilling it contractual obligations. In a call for tenders,
Porsche has chosen Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG, Graz, as
future contract manufacturer. The Austrian enterprise secured the
contract because it submitted the most financially attractive offer,
and because it is in a position to take on development tasks for
Porsche sports cars.
Holger P. Härter, Deputy
Chairman of Porsche SE, and as Chief Financial Officer responsible for
the allocation of commissioned production,
comments: “Over the last eleven
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 favor of our new partner.”
Magna Steyr will make it
possible for Porsche to continue the model of the “breathing factory”
in the next decade. From 2012 onwards, all production volumes of the
Boxster series, which, for capacity reasons, are not able to be
completed in Zuffenhausen, will be taken on by Magna Steyr’s factory in
Graz. Porsche will supply the engines and various components. This
ensures that in future, too, production at Porsche’s main factory in
Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen will run at full capacity. Further synergies
arise from the numerous supply relations between Porsche and the Magna
Group: the enterprise already manufactures many important components
for Porsche.
There are intersections
particularly in convertible top systems and bodywork components.

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