Valmet Automotive is a Finnish vehicle contract manufacturer and supplier of battery, roof, and kinematic systems. Valmet Automotive has manufactured over 1.8 million vehicles at its headquarters in

Uusikaupunki Uusikaupunki (; , ) is a list of towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland regions of Finland, region, northwest of Turku and south of Pori. The municipality has a pop ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Its largest shareholders are the Finnish state investment company Tesi and Pontos Group, each holding a 38.46% stake, while China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (

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

) owns 23.08%.

Products

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

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

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

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab AB, a Swedish aircraft, aerospace and defence company, still known as SAAB, and together with subsidiaries as Saab Group ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab ...

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 Gr ...

and Fisker. Valmet Automotive has produced electric vehicles since 2009. In July 2021, Valmet Automotive was selected to build long-range solar cars for

Lightyear 0 The Lightyear 0 (formerly the Lightyear One) is an all-solar-electric car by the Netherlands, Dutch car manufacturer Atlas Technologies B.V., Lightyear. Production was originally scheduled to start in 2021, with a starting price of incl. Value- ...

, which was later canceled. Valmet Automotive also announced a manufacturing contract with

Sono Motors Sono Motors GmbH is a German company working on the development of the electric solar car Sono Sion. A special feature of the vehicle designed by the company is solar cells embedded in the plastic body panels on both the roof and the sides. The el ...

for the Sion model in 2022, which was also later canceled. In July 2012,

Daimler AG Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-B ...

and Valmet Automotive announced a manufacturing agreement for the

Mercedes-Benz A-Class The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a car manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. It has been marketed across four generations as a front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger, five-door hatchback, with a three-door hatchback offered for the second generat ...

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

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a compact luxury crossover SUV introduced in 2015 for the 2016 model year that replaced the GLK-Class. According to Mercedes-Benz, it is the SUV equivalent to the C-Class. Under the vehicle naming scheme used by Merc ...

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 The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is an executive car (E-segment) introduced in 2018 by Mercedes-AMG. It is marketed as a five-door variant of the AMG GT two-door sports car. Despite the name and style, the GT 4-Door Coupé is closely related to ...

. 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 a 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 (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. 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 of 168 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and

Żary Żary (, , , ) is a town in western Poland with 37,502 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of the Żary County and of the Gmina Żary within the county, though the town is not part of the gmina (c ...

, Poland, sites. In 2016, Valmet Automotive expanded the Roof Systems business to include Kinematic Systems. Kinematic Systems develops and produces spoiler systems that reduce fuel consumption and extend the range of electrically powered vehicles. The product range also includes kinematic solutions for electric vehicles such as electric charging flaps. The Roof & Kinematic Systems business line's clients includes brands such as

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

(BMW Group),

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

, McLaren Automotive and

History

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 acce ...

of Finnish

Valmet Valmet Oyj, a Finnish company, is a developer and supplier of process technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp, paper, energy industries. Flow control serves a wider base of process industries. History 1999–2012 Valmet ...

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 manu ...

. The automotive plant was placed in

, 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 was primarily interested in building the compact

Simca-Talbot Horizon The Talbot Horizon is a Compact car, compact hatchback designed by Chrysler Europe, manufactured and marketed for model years 1978-1987 under the Simca, Chrysler Europe, Chrysler and Talbot (automobile), Talbot brands, succeeding both the Simca ...

, 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 Corporation (natively ) was a Finnish industrial machinery company focusing on providing technology and services for mining, and aggregates industries. On 30 June 2020, Metso's partial demerger and combination of Metso Minerals busines ...

, 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 Karmann, was a German automobile manufacturer and contract manufacturer based in Osnabrück, Germany. Founded by Wilhelm Karmann in 1901, the company specialised in various automotive roles, including d ...

’s roof-component sections in

, and

, Poland. In January 2017,

became a 23.08% minority stakeholder in the company, the other shareholders being Pontos and Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment).

Production

Valmet Automotive's present production includes

models (2013-present), with the

Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W177) The Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W177) is the fourth and current generation of the A-Class range of subcompact executive hatchbacks and sedans. It was launched in 2018 as the successor to the W176 A-Class, with sales commencing in March 2018. The a ...

having started production in August 2018. Upcoming production will include the

(X290), scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023. In the past, Valmet Automotive produced a range of vehicles, beginning with

models from 1969 to 2003. These included the Saab 95, 96, 99, 90,

900 __NOTOC__ Year 900 ( CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Spring – Forces under the Transoxianian emir Isma'il ibn Ahmad are victorious at Balkh (Northern Afghan ...

, 900 Convertible, 900 CD,

9000 9000 may refer to: * 9000 (number) * The last year of the 9th millennium, an exceptional common year starting on Wednesday Business * ISO 9000, a family of standards for quality management systems * TL 9000, a quality management system ...

, and 9-3 Convertible. They also produced specialized Saab models like the Saab 9-3 Viggen, and the long-wheelbase Finnish domestic market versions of the

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

and

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

(known as the "Finlandia" 5D combi-coupe and as the Saab 900 CD in 4D Sedan form). These models were favored by Finnish municipal and federal governments, as well as major Finnish industrial corporations, as official executive vehicles. From 1979 to 1987, Valmet produced vehicles for

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

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

, including the

, Simca 1307/1508, (Talbot 1510), and

Talbot Solara Talbot is a dormant automobile marque introduced in 1902 by British-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-T ...

. Between 1991 and 1997, they manufactured the Opel Calibra, and from 1996 to 1998, they produced the Lada EuroSamara. Between 1997 and 2011, Valmet worked with

to manufacture the

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

and

Porsche Cayman Cayman may refer to Places * Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory comprising three islands: ** Grand Cayman, the largest island ** Cayman Brac ** Little Cayman Other uses * HMS Cayman, HMS ''Cayman'', a British frigate * Porsche Cayman, a ...

. They also built the Garia electric golf car and the

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

electric car (including the Th!nk City) from 2009 to 2011. Other past projects include the

Fisker Karma The Fisker Karma is a luxury vehicle, luxury plug-in Range extender (vehicle), range-extended electric sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive between 2011 and 2012. The cars were manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland. The United St ...

for

Fisker Automotive Fisker Automotive was an American automobile company. It produced the Fisker Karma, which was one of the world's first production luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The company was founded in 2007 by Henrik Fisker, a Danish automobile d ...

from 2011 to 2012, and

models from 2013 onwards, such as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W176), produced from August 2013 to 2018, and the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class (X253) from 2017 to 2022. They briefly produced the

starting in November 2022, but the project was canceled in January 2023. Valmet also produced the Valmet Raceabout, a limited-series sports roadster. A notable canceled production includes Sono Motors' Sion, which was expected to begin production in late 2023 but was ultimately canceled.Valmet 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