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Whenever the good folks at Daimler hear about European overcapacity, they ask: “Why can’t we have some of it?” Daimler’s compact cars are so popular that the plants in Rastatt, Germany, and Kecskemét , Hungary, are already bursting at the seams, and will even more so once the new A-Class starts shipping in fall.. Therefore, Daimler outsourced A-Class production to Valmet, the Finnish contract manufacturer.
Valmet will produce more than 100,000 units for Daimler from 2013 through 2016, the company said in a statement. This in addition to going to three shift production in Rastatt late in the year. Daimler says it has received more than 40,000 A-Class orders already.
11 Comments on “Daimler: Overcapacity? We Want Some Of That Overcapacity!...”
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Now, I like small cars, but damn if that D-pillar doesn’t scream Kia Rio…
Aha, a Talbot Horizon! Good for valmet in any case
So now I can buy a Ford Fiesta with big wheels and a Mercedes grille?
Hey! What happened to the Sandwich floor concept?
If an elk laughs hysterically in the woods, does the A-Class that just flipped over make a sound?
The moose had the sandwich concept for lunch.
The new A-Class is basically a Renault. I wonder if Daimler solved the rust problems plagueing the 1st and 2nd generation models.
The third generation A class shares NOTHING with Renault. Nothing at all. In fact there is talk of Mercedes supplying Renault and Nissan with this new FWD/AWD platform as well as engines.
The only Renault-based Mercedes is the Citan van which is based on the current Renault Kangoo.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Citan
Might be some cross-pollination with the 3rd-gen smart car, which is supposed to share a platform and engines with Renault.
The 1,5 diesel for the A-class speaks French…
JLR and BMW are both running into similar problems
Can Valmet build 100,000 Mercedes and still crank out those “in-demand” Fiskers?