The British petrochemical giant Ineos has signed an agreement with Daimler to buy the German automaker’s factory in Hambach, France, where it will build the Grenadier 4x4 starting at the end of 2021, French media reports said.
The companies sealed the deal, which had been in the works since this summer, on Monday, the reports said, citing Smart and union sources. Terms were not disclosed, but Daimler will continue to produce the Smart ForTwo electric minicar at Hambach until 2024 as well as components for Mercedes-Benz models, the reports said.
The agreement will preserve just over 1,300 jobs at the site, where about 800 people currently work in production and another 800 for suppliers and in other support positions.
Ineos is aiming for annual production of about 25,000 Grenadiers, a large SUV similar to the body-on-frame Land Rover Defender 110 that was discontinued in 2016. Ineos teams plan to start work at the site as early as January, Smart and union representatives told the French website Usine Nouvelle on Tuesday.
Unions at the factory approved the sale several weeks ago, despite concerns about the sustainability of building a large internal-combustion engine vehicle at a time when European emissions standards continue to tighten.
Ineos may turn to hydrogen power in the future, however, as it recently signed an agreement with Hyundai to “explore the use” of Hyundai’s fuel cell technology in Grenadier vehicles.
The Hambach factory, known as Smartville in France, was inaugurated in 1997 in a ceremony attended by President Jacques Chirac of France and Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany. Production reached a high of about 140,000 in 2008; in 2019 about 70,000 vehicles were built there, according to research company Inovev.
Daimler said this summer that it would seek a buyer for the factory as part of a plan to reduce its industrial footprint.
The Smart brand is facing an uncertain future in Europe after Daimler said last year that would build next-generation Smart vehicles through a joint venture with Geely in China. The four-seater Smart ForFour, a sibling model of the Renault Twingo, is built at Renault Group’s factory in Slovenia.
Daimler had invested about 500 million euros to prepare the Hambach site to build larger electric vehicles for Mercedes-Benz such as the EQB crossover. Much of that work has already been completed, including a new body shop and a new paint shop.
Ineos emerged as a potential buyer for the Hambach site this summer. It was also said to be looking at Nissan’s pickup factory in Barcelona.
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December 08, 2020 at 08:19PM
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Ineos closes deal to buy Daimler factory to build Land Rover Defender rival - Automotive News Europe
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