Autoblog

Click for a hi-res gallery of Porsche production in Finland

Porsche has announced that production of its Boxster and Cayman models is to shift to component supplier Magna Steyr's facility in Austria beginning in 2012. Last year the contract with Finland's Valmet to assemble the two associated mid-engined models was extended through 2012, after which the terms will expire and Magna will take over.

Porsche CFO and deputy chairman Holger P. Harter stressed that the decision was not a vote against Valmet – which has to date built over 200,000 vehicles for Porsche – but rather the result of several elements that Magna brought to the table: firstly, Magna's production is scalable so that it will only manufacture what Porsche's own factory in Zuffenhausen (where the rear-engined 911 series is made) cannot handle. Secondly, Magna is able to assume some development responsibilities along with the final assembly. Thirdly, Magna's proposal was more financially attractive (read: cheaper) than Valmet's. And finally, Magna already supplies various components to Porsche – including convertible roofs and body panels – creating the opportunity for future synergies between Porsche and various Magna subsidiaries.

Click on the thumbnails below to view the Porsche Boxster and Cayman production facility at Valmet in Finland.

[Source: Porsche]

The Magna MILA Alpin concept car shown in Geneva has gotten the attention of both Mercedes and BMW. The button-cute 4-wheeler rode on a flexible platform, could utilize a variety of fuel sources, climb 45-degree angles, and get up to 120 mph. Those capabilities, and the ability to be easily rebodied and cost-effectively manufactured, have the two premium brands looking at ways to bolster their lineups and enviro-credentials.

Mercedes is known to be working on developing a 4-wheel-drive A-Class sedan. While the sandwich floors in the A-Class and B-Class cars were specifically created to allow flexible drivetrains, it is open to exploring options with BMW. Those other Bavarians in blue and white appear to be even more serious, having engaged Magna to discuss strategy and market demand. The MILA could provide a sound platform for BMW's electric car rumblings, as well as cost-effective, outsourced manufacturing.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via TTAC]

Click above for more pics of the Magna Mila Alpin concept

Three years ago, Magna Steyr debut what it called the Mila concept car -- Magna Innovation Lightweight Auto. Conceived as a pure driver's car, it was an environmentally-conscious single-seater that ran on natural gas up to 120 mph. Last year around this team, Magna followed up the Mila CNG with the Mila Future, a further evolution of the concept that bore two seats, completely covered wheels and an impossibly complicated folding hard top. For the next evolution of the MILA, Magna apparently thought that no one was serving the mountain climbing concept car market and stepped up to the challenge. The Mila Alpin is a chunky little off-road number that can climb 45-degree angles, runs on CNG, has 3+1 seating and what looks to be a seriously small turning radius. We hope the Magna stand in Geneva has a model Matterhorn so we can try it out. For now, you can check out images of the Mila Alpin concept below.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Click image for photo gallery of media pics and live shots from Auto.lenta.ru

Well, it looks like somebody is going to be buying the Chrysler Sebring. We just got a tip that GAZ has bought the rights to build a modified version of the last-gen car for sale in Europe. Along with manufacturing help from Magna Steyr and design and engineering work by UltraMotive, the new GAZ Siber will be a new-old Sebring for Siberia with a revised look and an upgraded suspension to better handle harsh winters. Additional info from our tipster tells us that the license and tooling for these cars were sold in April 2006 to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska for about $151 million (€ 124 million). He's the same guy who owns the GAZ company in Nizhny Novgorod, which builds the Volga automobile among other things. There's a translated press release after the jump and here's a link to the original Russian info for those who prefer it. Live shots in the gallery came from Auto.lenta.ru.

Thanks for the tip, Tverez!

[Source: GAZ via Auto.lenta.ru]

Magna is making news all over. The latest effort from the Canadian auto supplier is aimed at getting BMW to let it build a MINI SUV. The SUV will be called the "Colorado," and could be the next step in MINI's increasingly grand line. As it is, the MINI is so popular that BMW can't squeeze another car out of its MINI plant in Oxford, England, and it's still got the Clubman to deal with. Magna has excess capacity at its Steyr plant in Graz, Austria where the Chrysler 300 was built until Chrysler shifted more of its production to its Brampton, Ontario plant. The Austrian factory will also lose out on building the next generation BMW X3, whose production will shift to South Carolina, and both Chrysler and Mercedes are bringing more operations in-house. Magna Steyr built 26,400 Chryslers and 113,000 X3's last year, and is working replace those with 65,000 MINI Colorados, as well as 20,000 VW roadsters.

Thanks for the tip, Paul!

[Source: The Globe and Mail]

Damon reported the other day that BMW has decided to shift production of the next generation X3 to their Spartanburg, SC plant. While that's good news for the employees in Spartanburg, it's the second big loss for Magna International this week. After losing out to Cerberus in the bidding for Chrysler, they are on the short end of the X3 production deal.

Magna-Steyr's plant in Graz, Austria has been assembling the X3 for BMW since 2003 in a deal that will end when the X3 starts coming off the South Carolina line. The X3 accounted for forty-five percent of the Graz plant's output and Magna is looking for a new customer to take up that capacity starting sometime in 2010.

[Source: TheAutoChannel]

click above image to view 113 images of the KTM X-Bow

We just got word that KTM has decided to switch builders for its grown-up go-kart, the X-Bow. This 1,500-pound, 300-hp track day special is set to launch next February with an initial, special-edition run of 100 units. It was originally anticipated that 100 would be the total number of units sold per year, so Dallara had been tabbed to produce them. But with 600 firm orders in hand, KTM has turned to Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik instead. KTM head Stefan Pierer explained that switching to Magna Steyr allows production to get up to speed more quickly because of their larger capacity available right off the bat. And if that 600-order figure doesn't seem impressive, KTM now has hopes to eventually reach 1,000 units annually.

No mention of a drop in price accompanied the announcement, but if KTM were asking $55,000 based on 100 units sold, we suspect 1,000 units might mean a lower pricetag in the future. Even at $55,000, however, the X-Bow remains something of a bargain, with a power-to-weight ratio of just 5.13 lbs/hp. Some supercars can't match that figure, and few come close at this price outside of the obvious rivals like the Ariel Atom, Caterham, etc. It would be interesting to see new racing classes over the next few years with all of these no-frills vehicles – the Lotus 340R, Deronda F and others going cycle-fendered wheel to wheel.

[Source: Gizmag]