VDL Nedcar
Nedcar ( an abbreviation for Netherlands Car BV ) is an automobile manufacturing plant of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Japan. In this work, the current Mitsubishi Colt is built. Nedcar is the only large series car factory in the Netherlands; It is located in the Limburg Born, which now belongs to the municipality of Sittard- Geleen. Nedcar existed since August 1991.
Building a Business
In 1967 the Dutch car manufacturer DAF built a new car factory in Born, in which even as of 1967 DAF 44 rolled off the production line.
Volvo
In 1972, Volvo acquired a 33 % interest in this work and increased its share to 75 % by 1975 on. The work was also in the same year in Volvo Car BV renamed; the DAF -66 models wore henceforth the Volvo logo, and were called since then Volvo 66 DAF 46 kept its name.
The Volvo 340 and 360 appeared as a successor to the 66 was still almost completely developed by DAF. The engines for its smallest model family moved into Volvo of Renault, the Volvo 360 was awarded, among other Volvo engine B200.
The successor to the 300 series - the 400 series (440, 460 and 480) - was also produced in Born.
The cooperation
Beginning of the 1990s, Volvo was planning to close the increasingly unprofitable expectant work. The Dutch government helped in the search for a partner, since it would have been impossible for Volvo to keep the work alone. With Mitsubishi Motors have found a partner who was interested in the construction or operation of a European manufacturing facility.
The joint venture between Volvo, Mitsubishi and the Dutch government ( 33% each ) was decided in August 1991.
The first Dutch Mitsubishi
By 1995, the factory was heavily modernized along the lines of a Japanese Mitsubishi plant, so that as of late 1995, the first Dutch Mitsubishi ( Carisma ), and the new Volvo S40/V40 could run off the assembly line. From this point, the work also was known officially as NedCar.
On 15 February 1999, the Dutch government sold its shares in Nedcar in equal parts to Volvo and Mitsubishi, so the 50% owned.
1999, the third model was presented, which should be built at Nedcar: Mitsubishi Space Star.
On 30 March 2001 Volvo sold its 50% stake in Mitsubishi, as the successor models of S40 and V40 from 2004 in Ghent, Belgium should be built at Volvo.
Signed in 2002, Mitsubishi and Smart signed a contract about the fact that the four-seater Smart Forfour was to be built at Nedcar.
2003 celebrated the work of its 35th anniversary. The four millionth car, a Mitsubishi Space Star, came off the line.
The new generation of small cars
2004, the last Volvo at Nedcar was built. Mitsubishi and Smart started with the production of its new small car models Mitsubishi Colt and Smart Forfour.
2006, DaimlerChrysler decided to bring forward the setting of the Smart Forfour in mid-2006. A compensation payment of hundreds of millions of DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi agreed with the government social programs should ensure a gradual abolition of jobs for a socially acceptable solution. About a third of employees in Born was concerned.
Mitsubishi SUV
The December 2006 very successfully sold in Europe Mitsubishi Outlander is built in the factory Born since the end of 2007. All intended for the European market version of the Outlander will after the transfer of production in Born from the tape running (before work Nagoya, Japan). Not affected by this new regulation, Mitsubishi PSA ( Peugeot, Citroen) are supplied SUV, which production location, but they relocated within Japan. With these and other measures was planned to achieve a more uniform utilization of the Mitsubishi car plants and at the same time to meet the great demand for the Mitsubishi Outlander in Europe.
End of Mitsubishi
In 2012, Mitsubishi announced to abandon the production in Holland. The Dutch VDL Groep bought the factory facilities. Discussions with the BMW Group were successful and the production of certain Minis will take place in the future in the Netherlands.