VDL Nedcar is an automotive manufacturing company in Born,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Since December 2012 it has been owned by the Dutch industrial conglomerate

VDL Groep VDL Groep is an international industrial and manufacturing company established in 1953. From its head office in Eindhoven, Netherlands, VDL supervises its subsidiaries, which have a high level of autonomy and responsibility for results. The bus ...

. Previous owners were

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Volvo Cars Volvo Cars ( sv, Volvo personvagnar, styled VOLVO in the company's logo) is a Swedish multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Torslanda, Gothenburg. The company manufactures SUVs, station wagons, and sedans. The company's ...

. The company had its origins in a DAF car factory which opened in 1968. VDL Nedcar is the largest automotive factory in the Netherlands, with a production capacity of 240,000 vehicles a year. It produced about 120,000 cars in 2020. It is also the only manufacturer of

production vehicle Production vehicles or production cars are mass-produced identical models, offered for sale to the public, and able to be legally driven on public roads ( street legal). Legislation and other rules further define the production vehicle within part ...

s in the Netherlands. VDL Nedcar produced its millionth vehicle, a

Mitsubishi Space Star The Mitsubishi Space Star is a car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors from either 1998 or 1999 until 2005. Described as a hatchback, a compact people carrier, or a micro MPV, it was built at the NedCar factory in the Nethe ...

, on 4 October 2000. VDL Nedcar currently produces the Mini Cabrio convertible,

Mini Countryman The Mini Countryman, also called Mini Crossover in Japan, is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV, the first vehicle of this type to be launched by BMW under the Mini marque. It was launched in 2010 and received a facelift in 2014. The second gene ...

, Mini Countryman-PHEV and

BMW X1 The BMW X1 is a line of subcompact luxury crossovers produced by BMW. Debuted in 2009, the first-generation X1 has been based on the E90 3 Series and offers rear-wheel drive layout as standard. At its introduction, it was positioned as the sm ...

for BMW Group.

Location

VDL Nedcar in Born is located in

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

, a province in the south of the Netherlands. VDL Nedcar has direct access to the ports of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeeb ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. Nearby is an inland barge terminal and a rail terminal, supported by airports such as Maastricht/Aachen,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

and

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

. Area development and expansion of VDL Nedcar VDL Nedcar drone

In 2019, VDL Nedcar and the province of Limburg signed an agreement on the sale of land around the factory, increasing the total site to about 1,500,000 square meters. Permits are expected to be granted in late 2021 for another expansion of 59 hectares, allowing up to 400,000 vehicles a year to be produced.

History

The factory was founded in 1967 by the former Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek (DAF), and continued after the takeover of its parent by Volvo in 1972–1975. When financial difficulties threatened to close it down in the early 1990s the government stepped in to ensure its survival. A joint venture between the Dutch State, Volvo and Mitsubishi Motors began in August 1991, although it was 1996 before the name was officially changed from ''Volvo Car B.V.'' to ''Netherlands Car B.V.'' On 15 February 1999 the Dutch government sold its shares to its two partners, which then owned 50 percent each. Later, on 30 March 2001, Volvo sold its shares to Mitsubishi, which then owned 100 percent. The plant's long-term survival was in question from 2001, when then Mitsubishi Motors Chief Operating Officer Rolf Eckrodt stated that its annual vehicle production capacity had to increase to 280,000 if it wished to remain economically viable. The last Volvo automobiles were built in 2004. Smart forfour2

Between 2004 and 2012 the

Mitsubishi Colt The Mitsubishi Colt is a nameplate from Mitsubishi Motors that has been applied to a number of automobiles since 1962. It was first introduced with a series of kei and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then for the export version of the subcompac ...

was built at Nedcar. The factory also produced the Colt's sister vehicle, the

Smart Forfour The Smart Forfour (stylized as "smart forfour") is a city car (A-segment) marketed by Smart over two generations. The first generation was marketed in Europe from 2004 to 2006 with a front-engine configuration, sharing its platform with the Mitsubi ...

, for

DaimlerChrysler The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacture ...

until production ceased in mid-2006. Industrial action was taken in 2005 in protest against the discontinuation of the Smart Forfour, although Mitsubishi confirmed its commitment to keeping the factory open as far as the end of the Colt's life cycle in 2009. Since then, European market versions of the

Mitsubishi Outlander The is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors. It was originally known as the when it was introduced in Japan in 2001. The original Airtrek name was chosen to "describe the vehicle's ability to transpo ...

have had their production transferred from Japan to the Netherlands from 2008,"Mitsubishi Motors transfers Outlander production for Europe"
Mitsubishi Motors press release, 18 September 2007 while the Outlander-based

Citroën C-Crosser The Citroën C-Crosser is a compact crossover SUV launched in July 2007, designed for the French manufacturer Citroën, and produced by Mitsubishi on the basis of the Outlander. The equivalent Peugeot badge engineered version was the 4007. It ...

and

Peugeot 4007 The Peugeot 4007 is a compact crossover SUV produced by Mitsubishi Motors for the French automobile marque Peugeot, between July 2007 and April 2012. The equivalent Citroën badge-engineered version was the C-Crosser. Both were produced in Mits ...

were also planned to be assembled at Born for the European market,"Mitsubishi Motors transfers production of SUV for PSA Peugeot Citroën"
Mitsubishi Motors press release, 27 March 2008 but this was postponed indefinitely because of slow sales of these models.

Labour union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

FNV, NedCar

COO COO or coo may refer to: Business * Certificate of origin, used in international trade * Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official * Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process ...

Joost Goovaarts and the

works council A works council is a shop-floor organization representing workers that functions as a local/firm-level complement to trade unions but is independent of these at least in some countries. Works councils exist with different names in a variety of re ...

have said it is a step towards securing the future of the plant."SUV redt Nedcar voor een paar jaar"
Frits Baltesen, ''

NRC Handelsblad ''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands. History ''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...

'', 18 September 2007 In 2012, Mitsubishi announced it would stop producing cars in the Netherlands. Dutch industrial group VDL acquired the factory in December 2012 and renamed it VDL Nedcar. VDL entered negotiations with BMW which resulted in the announcement that certain

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

models would be produced in the Limburg factory from 2014 onwards. Since 2017, the

BMW X1 (F48) The F48 BMW X1 is the second generation of the BMW X1 range of subcompact luxury crossover SUV. The F48 X1 was unveiled at the September 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and later at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. Contrary to the previous generation whic ...

has been produced at VDL Nedcar, which shares production with the BMW Group plant at

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

. In October 2020, VDL Nedcar announced that it would not receive a follow-up order for the Mini Countryman from BMW Group for the longer term, leaving it to search for another manufacturer to fill production capacity. In June 2021, U.S. EV startup

Canoo Canoo is an American automotive startup based in Torrance, California, that develops and manufactures electric vehicles. It plans to sell a lifestyle vehicle by 2022. Canoo's research & development team is based in the Detroit region (Aubur ...

announced it would use VDL for its first run of the Lifestyle Vehicle starting in 2022, an interim measure as it builds its Oklahoma factory.

Production

After the cessation of Mitsubishi manufacturing in 2012, production restarted in 2014 with the new

Mini Hatch The Mini Hatch, stylised as MINI Hatch (or MINI Hardtop in the U.S.), also sold as Mini Cooper, Mini One, or simply called the (BMW) Mini, are a family of retro-styled two-door supermini hatchback and convertible; and (from 2014) a longer, su ...

model.

Current production

(2014–present) *Mini Convertible (2015–present), only plant that assembles the Mini Convertible *

(2016–present) *

(2017–present)

Past models and production years

Volvo 480ES in Schaffen-Diest in profile

DAF 33 The DAF 33 is a compact saloon car produced by the DAF company of Eindhoven, in the Netherlands between 1967 and 1974. Outwardly and technically it differed little from its predecessor, the DAF Daffodil. 1966 had seen the introduction of the ...

(1967–1972) *

DAF 44 The DAF 44 is a small family car that was introduced in September 1966 by the Dutch company DAF. It was the first car to be built at the company's new plant at Born in Limburg. Styled by Michelotti, it represented a cautious move upmarket fo ...

(1967–1975) *

DAF 55 The DAF 55 is a small family car produced by the The Netherlands, Dutch company DAF Trucks, DAF from December 1967 to September 1972. At that time it was replaced with the DAF 66. All 55s featured the unique Variomatic belt-driven continuously va ...

(1968–1972) *

DAF 66 The DAF 66 is a small family car produced by the Dutch company DAF from September 1972 to 1976. It was the successor of the DAF 55 and was itself superseded by the reworked Volvo 66. The DAF 66 was the last four-cylinder car to feature the DAF na ...

(1972–1975) *

DAF 46 The DAF 46 is a small family car that was manufactured by the Dutch company DAF. It was introduced in November 1974 to replace the 44, although at the time it was announced that the two cars would be sold "alongside" one another, suggesting that ...

(1975–1976) *

Volvo 66 The Volvo 66 sprang directly from the DAF 66, which was originally styled by Giovanni Michelotti. The compact car was introduced in August 1975, almost exactly a year after Volvo bought DAF, and before production of the Volvo 300 Series began. ...

(1975–1981) * Volvo 340/360 (1976–1991) *

Volvo 480 The Volvo 480 is a sporty compact car that was produced in Born, Netherlands, by Volvo from 1986 to 1995. It was the first front-wheel drive car made by Volvo and the only Volvo featuring pop-up headlights. The 480 was available in only one body ...

(1986–1995) *

Volvo 440/460 The Volvo 440 and 460 are versions of a small family car produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo between June 1988 and September 1996. The 440 was a five-door hatchback and the 460 a four-door saloon which followed in 1989. They were built at ...

(1987–1997) *

Volvo S40/V40 The Volvo S40 is a series of compact and subcompact executive automobiles marketed and produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1995 to 2012. The first generation (1995–2004) was introduced in 1995 with the S40 (S from saloon) ...

(1995–2004) *

Mitsubishi Carisma The Mitsubishi Carisma was a large family car produced for the European market by Mitsubishi Motors from 1995 to 2004.Mitsubishi Space Star The Mitsubishi Space Star is a car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors from either 1998 or 1999 until 2005. Described as a hatchback, a compact people carrier, or a micro MPV, it was built at the NedCar factory in the Nethe ...

(1998–2005) *

(2004–2006) *

(2004–2012) *

(2008–2012)

Annual output

In 2011, the Nedcar factory produced 4.3% of the global output of Mitsubishi. However, vehicle assembly for Mitsubishi came to an end during 2012.

NedCar Access

NedCar displayed the Access concept car at the 1996

Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...

to demonstrate the company's product design and engineering capabilities. It was a 5-door hatchback, long and fitted with a four-cylinder petrol engine. It was constructed with a mix of aluminium and plastics.

References

External links

NedCarNedcar
at

Linkedin LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:VDL Nedcar Car manufacturers of the Netherlands Motor vehicle assembly plants in the Netherlands Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1967

VDL Nedcar VDL Nedcar is an automotive manufacturing company in Born, Netherlands. Since December 2012 it has been owned by the Dutch industrial conglomerate VDL Groep. Previous owners were Mitsubishi Motors and Volvo Cars. The company had its origins in ...

Contract vehicle manufacturers Dutch companies established in 1967