Valmet Valmet Oyj is a Finnish company and a developer and supplier of technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp (paper), pulp, paper and energy industry, energy industries. Valmet has over 200 years of history as an industrial oper ...

Automotive (formerly known as Saab-Valmet) is a Finnish vehicle contract manufacturer and supplier for the development and production of battery systems as well as a supplier for roof and kinematic systems. In its development, the Valmet Automotive Group focuses on electromobility with the development and production of battery modules and complete battery packs for electrified vehicles. In addition to the vehicle plant in Uusikaupunki, the company operates battery plants in Salo and Uusikaupunki in Finland; a third battery plant in Kirchardt, Germany will go into operation in 2022. Valmet Automotive has sites in Finland, Germany and Poland. The largest shareholders in Valmet Automotive Group are the Finnish state investment company Tesi and Pontos Group, each with a 38.46 percent stake. 23.08 percent is held by China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL).

Expertise

Valmet Automotive has three business lines: Vehicle Manufacturing, EV Systems, and Roof & Kinematic Systems. In vehicle manufacturing, Valmet Automotive's customer references include

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

and Fisker. Valmet Automotive has electric vehicles in series production since 2009. In July 2021 Valmet Automotive announced to be selected to build long-range solar cars for

Lightyear A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...

. Valmet Automotive has also announced the manufacturing contract with Sono Motors for the Sion model in 2022. In July 2012,

Daimler AG 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 ...

and Valmet Automotive announced a manufacturing agreement

Mercedes-Benz A-Class The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a subcompact car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz as the brand's entry-level vehicle. The first generation (internally coded W168) was introduced in 1997, the second generation (W169) in ...

for the Uusikaupunki, Finland, plant. Production began in August 2013. A contract for the production of the

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a Compact crossover SUV#Luxury vehicles, Compact luxury crossover SUV introduced in 2015 for the 2016 model year that replaces the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class, GLK-Class. According to Mercedes-Benz, it is the SUV equivalent t ...

was announced in November 2015. The GLC production started in February 2017. In March 2017, Valmet Automotive announced the manufacturing contract with

for the next generation Mercedes-Benz compact cars. While the production of the GLC ended in 2022, Valmet Automotive announced a manufacturing contract for the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé. In the EV Systems business line, Valmet Automotive operates two battery pack production facilities in Salo, Finland, and in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The battery plant in

Salo Salo or Salò may refer to: Places Finland *Salo, Finland, a town in Western Finland **Salo sub-region, a subdivision of Finland Proper and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009 *An old name of Saloinen, a former municipality in Ostroboth ...

, Finland started large-scale production of 48-volt systems in 2019, and the expansion to include production of high-voltage batteries was completed in the summer of 2021. The battery plant in Uusikaupunki was opened in September 2021; high-voltage batteries for electric vehicles are manufactured there under one roof with vehicle production. A third battery plant in Kirchardt, Germany, is under construction and will open in 2022. Valmet Automotive also has sites for battery testing and engineering in Bad Friedrichshall, Weihenbronn, Munich and Turku (Finland). In 2010, Valmet Automotive took over Karmann's roof business and continued operations at the

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

, Germany, and

Żary Żary (pronounced , german: Sorau, dsb, Žarow) is a town in western Poland with 37,502 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship since 1999. Previously it was located within Zielona Góra Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the admi ...

, Poland sites. In 2016, it was decided to expand the Roof Systems business to include Kinematic Systems. Kinematic Systems comprises the development and production of spoiler systems to reduce fuel consumption and optimize the range of electrically powered vehicles. The product range also includes kinematic solutions for electric vehicles such as electric charging flaps. The customer reference list of the Roof & Kinematic Systems business line includes brands such as

, BMW,

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 ...

(BMW Group),

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

, McLaren Automotive and

History

Saab-Valmet_Autofabrik_(Uusikaupunki,_Nystad,_Finnland)

Saab-Valmet was established in 1968 as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

of Finnish

and Swedish

Saab-Scania Saab-Scania AB was a Swedish vehicle manufacturer that was formed from the 1969 merger of Saab AB and Scania-Vabis. The company was split in 1995. History Truck and bus manufacturer Scania AB of Södertälje merged with car and aeroplane manufa ...

. The automotive plant was placed in

Uusikaupunki Uusikaupunki (; sv, Nystad, ) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, northwest of Turku and south of Pori. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is inland wate ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and assembled only Saabs for the first eleven years. Between 1979 and 1985, Valmet also assembled Talbots; a total of 31,978 such cars were built in Finland. Valmet were only really interested in building the compact

Simca-Talbot Horizon The Chrysler Horizon is a compact hatchback that was designed by Chrysler Europe and was produced from 1978 to 1987 under the Chrysler, Simca and Talbot nameplates. The successor to both the Simca 1100 and Hillman Avenger, the Horizon adopted a ...

, but the French company required Valmet to also assemble the larger (and slow selling) 1307 before they would license the Horizon. Unlike Saabs, the Simca-Talbots were only meant for local consumption, although a clause in the contract allowed for the possibility of exports if parts made by the thirty local suppliers began to be exported to Talbot's main plants. Domestic parts content increased to thirty percent within a half year of manufacture commencing. In 1992 Valmet became the sole owner, and the company was renamed Valmet Automotive in 1995. From 1999 to 2010, the sole owner was

Metso Metso Oyj was a Finnish industrial machinery company focusing on providing technology and services for mining, Construction aggregate, aggregates, and Petroleum industry, oil and gas, recycling, pulp and paper and other process industries. On ...

, after which both Finnish Industry Investment (Tesi) and Pontos Investments bought 34% of the company's shares. On November 4, 2010, Valmet Automotive bought

Karmann Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, commonly known as simply Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück. Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialized in a variety of automotive roles, includi ...

’s roof-component sections in

, Germany, and

, Poland. In January 2017,

CATL Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (), abbreviated as CATL, is a Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company founded in 2011 that specializes in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage s ...

became a 23,08% minority stakeholder in the company, the other shareholders being Pontos and Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment).

Production

Present production

*Lightyear (2022-present) **

Lightyear 0 The Lightyear 0 (formerly the Lightyear One) is an upcoming all-solar-electric car by Lightyear. Production was originally scheduled to start in 2021, with a starting price of incl. VAT (). The first units are to be delivered in 2022. Descript ...

production started in November 2022 *

(2013–present) ** Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W177) production started in August 2018 **

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is an executive car (E-segment) introduced in 2018 by Mercedes-AMG marketed as a five-door variant of the AMG GT two-door sports car. Despite the name and style, the car is not based on the sports car, but rath ...

(X290) production starts in third quarter 2023

Past production

(1969–2003) **

Saab 95 The Saab 95 is a seven-seater, two-door station wagon which was produced by Saab from 1959 to 1978. Initially it was based on the Saab 93 sedan, but the model's development throughout the years followed closely that of the Saab 96 after the 93 ...

Saab 96 The Saab 96 is an automobile manufactured and marketed by Saab from 1960 to January 1980, replacing the 93. The 96 featured aerodynamic two-door bodywork, four-passenger seating and at first a two-stroke, three-cylinder engine, later a four-strok ...

Saab 99 The Saab 99 is a car which was produced by Saab from 1968 to 1984; their first foray into a larger class than the 96. While considered a large family car in Scandinavia, it was marketed as a niche compact executive car in most other markets. It w ...

Saab 90 The Saab 90 is a family car from Saab made from September 1984 to 1987. It was manufactured at a facility in Uusikaupunki (Nystad), Finland, at that time owned by a joint venture with Finnish Valmet, Saab-Valmet. The 90 was a continuation of the ...

Saab 900 The Saab 900 is a mid-sized automobile which was produced by Saab from 1978 until 1998 in two generations; the first from 1978 to 1993, and the second from 1994 to 1998. The first-generation car was based on the Saab 99 chassis, though with a ...

Convertible **

CD **

Saab 9000 The Saab 9000 is an automobile produced by the Swedish company Saab from 1984 to 1998. Representing the company's foray into the executive car scene, it was developed as a result of the successes of the turbocharged 99 and 900 models. The 9000 re ...

Saab 9-3 The Saab 9-3 (pronounced ''nine-three'') is a compact executive car initially developed and manufactured by the Swedish automaker Saab. The first generation 9-3 (1998-2003) is based on the GM2900 platform, changing to the GM Epsilon platform ...

Convertible ** Specialized

models (e.g. Saab 9-3 Viggen,

Convertible, the LWB Finnish domestic market versions of

and

aka. the Saab 99 and 900 "Finlandia" 5D combi-coupe and as the 900 CD in 4D Sedan form, seemingly popular with Finnish municipal and federal governments and major Finnish industrial corporations as an official executive car. Etc.) *

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

(1979–1987) **

** Simca 1307/1508, Talbot 1510 **

Talbot Solara Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

(1991–1997) **

Opel Calibra The Opel Calibra is a coupé, engineered and produced by the Germany, German automaker Opel between 1989 and 1997. In the United Kingdom, where it remained on sale until 1999, it was marketed under the Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall brand as the Vaux ...

* Lada (1996–1998) ** Lada EuroSamara *

(1997–2011) **

Porsche Boxster The Porsche Boxster and Cayman are Mid-engine design, mid-engine two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche across four generations—as a two-door, two-seater Roadster (automobile), roadster (Boxst ...

Porsche Cayman Cayman may refer to * Cayman Islands, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom ** Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, or Little Cayman, three islands that are part of the Cayman Islands * , a British frigate in service with the Royal Navy from 1944 to 194 ...

* Garia electric golf car (2009–2011) *

Think In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...

electric car (2009–2011) **

Th!nk City The Th!nk City is an electric city car that was produced by Norwegian carmaker Think Global, and production partner Valmet Automotive from 2008 to 2012. It is a small two-seater/2+2-seater highway capable vehicle, with a top speed of , and an all ...

Fisker Automotive Fisker Automotive was an American company known for producing the Fisker Karma, which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. It debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, and first de ...

(2011–2012) **

Fisker Karma The Fisker Karma is a luxury plug-in range-extended electric sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive in 2012. The cars were manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated th ...

(2013–present) **

Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W176) The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a subcompact car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz as the brand's entry-level vehicle. The first generation (internally coded W168) was introduced in 1997, the second generation (W169) in ...

production started in August 2013 and production ended in 2018 ** Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class (X253) (2017-2022)

Future production

* Sono Motors (2023, expected) **

Sono Motors Sion Sion is an announced solar car, solar powered, full electric car, currently being developed by the German start-up Sono Motors. Its battery can be charged using the electric grid or its own solar cells. History The founders of Sono Motors have ...

production expected to start late 2023Valmet Automotive Sopimukseen sähköatovalmitstaja Sono Motorsin kanssa
(in Finnish)

Gallery

File:Saab 95 V4 1974.jpg, Saab 95 File:1972 Saab 96 V4 1.5.jpg, Saab 96 File:1974Saab99EMS-US.jpg, Saab 99 File:Saab90.jpg, Saab 90 File:1985-SAAB900CD-front.jpg, Saab 900 CD (Long Wheelbase Model) File:2nd Saab 900 S 3-door -- 03-24-2012.JPG, Saab 900 Convertible File:1998 Saab 9-3 S 2.3i 5-door hatchback (2015-07-06) 01.jpg, Saab 9-3 File:Saab 9-3 Cabrio front 20071109.jpg, Saab 9-3 Convertible File:2nd-Saab-9000-hatch.jpg, Saab 9000 File:Eurosamara.jpg, Lada 21093 EuroSamara Baltic File:Talbot Horizon Lahti5.JPG, Talbot Horizon GL File:Talbot Solara Lahti.JPG, Talbot Solara File:Talbot 1510 Lahti.JPG, Talbot 1510 File:Opel_Calibra_front_20071007.jpg, Opel Calibra File:2002-2004 Porsche Boxster (986) convertible (2012-06-24) 01.jpg, Porsche Boxster File:Porsche Cayman S (6813118854) (cropped).jpg, Porsche Cayman S File:Think City 2007.jpg, Th!nk City File:Fisker at speed in the fog trimmed.jpg, Fisker Karma File:Mercedes-Benz A 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Urban (W 176) – Frontansicht, 3. März 2013, Düsseldorf.jpg, Mercedes-Benz A-class File:2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 Urban Edition 4MATIC 2.0 Front.jpg, Mercedes-Benz GLC-class

References

External links

Valmet Automotive company pages
{{Automotive industry in Finland Valmet Automotive companies of Finland Sports car manufacturers Plug-in hybrid vehicle manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1968 Finnish brands Uusikaupunki Contract vehicle manufacturers Finnish companies established in 1968 1968 establishments in Finland