ChrisfromQuébec
19/05/2006, 15h10
Russia's OAO GAZ Automaker to Produce DaimlerChrysler Cars
MOSCOW April 14, 2006; The AP reported that Russia's OAO GAZ automaker agreed to buy DaimlerChrysler AG production lines in suburban Detroit and move them to Russia, where it will produce DaimlerChrysler cars under license.
GAZ said in a statement Friday it will buy the production lines from the Sterling Heights plant in Michigan, which produces Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus vehicles.
The Sterling Heights plant will get new equipment to build the company's next generation Sebring and Stratus, the Chrysler Group said, and will have the ability to produce a second, small-vehicle line as well.
GAZ said it will transfer the production equipment to the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, where the company is based. It did not disclose the price of the contract.
GAZ, which is owned by Russian financial-industrial group Basic Element, said it will produce 65,000 DaimlerChrysler cars annually.
GAZ and DaimlerChrysler also signed an exclusive long-term agreement under which GAZ will buy DaimlerChrysler-made engines produced in Mexico to be installed on GAZ's own passenger and commercial vehicles, GAZ said.
The Sebring and Stratus have been built at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant since 2000.
Last year, DaimlerChrysler announced it was investing $278 million in the Sterling Heights plant, which employs about 2,400, for a flexible manufacturing operation to build vehicles in a leaner, more cost-effective way.
The Sterling Heights plant is still building cars and likely will wrap up production in May, Chrysler spokesman David Elshoff said Friday. The company hasn't announced a date for when it will reopen with the new equipment.
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DaimlerChrysler's sale is GAZ's gain
DaimlerChrysler Corp. has reached an agreement to sell tooling and other assets from its Sterling Heights, MI, Assembly Plant to East Coast Trading Company (ECTC), a U.S.-based intermediary exporter. The agreement does not include buildings or real estate.
Russian carmaker Gorky Automotive Works (GAZ) will purchase the manufacturing assets from ECTC. The assets were formerly used to build the popular Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus sedans, which will be replaced by new models later this year.
“The sale of our out-going plant tools provides an extended productive life for these high-quality manufacturing assets,” says John Stellman, vice president - Mergers and Acquisitions, NAFTA, and South America for DaimlerChrysler.
In March 2005, DaimlerChrysler announced it would invest $278 million in its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant to create a state-of-the-art flexible manufacturing operation.
As a result of that investment, Sterling Heights assembly operation is currently undergoing a dramatic new model changeover that will give it increased flexibility and efficiency to support its role in Chrysler Group’s ambitious future product strategy. The plant will get new tooling and equipment to build the company’s next-generation Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus, and will have the ability to produce a second, small-vehicle line as well.
In addition to purchasing manufacturing assets, GAZ will be granted full- vehicle production rights in Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine). The license will allow GAZ to build and sell cars based on the mid- size Chrysler Group body style under its own brands, with different product names and styling changes to the fascias.
GAZ also will enter into an exclusive, multi-year supply agreement for the purchase of 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines from Chrysler Group’s Saltillo (Mexico) Engine Plant for use in production of the mid-size vehicle in Russia and other CIS countries. GAZ also will utilize this engine in the company’s Volga and Gazelle vehicles.
GAZ, Russia’s second-largest automotive manufacturer, builds 250,000 cars, minivans, and pickup trucks annually and owns approximately 18 percent of the Russian new vehicle market.
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... en Russie
MOSCOW April 14, 2006; The AP reported that Russia's OAO GAZ automaker agreed to buy DaimlerChrysler AG production lines in suburban Detroit and move them to Russia, where it will produce DaimlerChrysler cars under license.
GAZ said in a statement Friday it will buy the production lines from the Sterling Heights plant in Michigan, which produces Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus vehicles.
The Sterling Heights plant will get new equipment to build the company's next generation Sebring and Stratus, the Chrysler Group said, and will have the ability to produce a second, small-vehicle line as well.
GAZ said it will transfer the production equipment to the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, where the company is based. It did not disclose the price of the contract.
GAZ, which is owned by Russian financial-industrial group Basic Element, said it will produce 65,000 DaimlerChrysler cars annually.
GAZ and DaimlerChrysler also signed an exclusive long-term agreement under which GAZ will buy DaimlerChrysler-made engines produced in Mexico to be installed on GAZ's own passenger and commercial vehicles, GAZ said.
The Sebring and Stratus have been built at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant since 2000.
Last year, DaimlerChrysler announced it was investing $278 million in the Sterling Heights plant, which employs about 2,400, for a flexible manufacturing operation to build vehicles in a leaner, more cost-effective way.
The Sterling Heights plant is still building cars and likely will wrap up production in May, Chrysler spokesman David Elshoff said Friday. The company hasn't announced a date for when it will reopen with the new equipment.
---
DaimlerChrysler's sale is GAZ's gain
DaimlerChrysler Corp. has reached an agreement to sell tooling and other assets from its Sterling Heights, MI, Assembly Plant to East Coast Trading Company (ECTC), a U.S.-based intermediary exporter. The agreement does not include buildings or real estate.
Russian carmaker Gorky Automotive Works (GAZ) will purchase the manufacturing assets from ECTC. The assets were formerly used to build the popular Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus sedans, which will be replaced by new models later this year.
“The sale of our out-going plant tools provides an extended productive life for these high-quality manufacturing assets,” says John Stellman, vice president - Mergers and Acquisitions, NAFTA, and South America for DaimlerChrysler.
In March 2005, DaimlerChrysler announced it would invest $278 million in its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant to create a state-of-the-art flexible manufacturing operation.
As a result of that investment, Sterling Heights assembly operation is currently undergoing a dramatic new model changeover that will give it increased flexibility and efficiency to support its role in Chrysler Group’s ambitious future product strategy. The plant will get new tooling and equipment to build the company’s next-generation Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus, and will have the ability to produce a second, small-vehicle line as well.
In addition to purchasing manufacturing assets, GAZ will be granted full- vehicle production rights in Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine). The license will allow GAZ to build and sell cars based on the mid- size Chrysler Group body style under its own brands, with different product names and styling changes to the fascias.
GAZ also will enter into an exclusive, multi-year supply agreement for the purchase of 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines from Chrysler Group’s Saltillo (Mexico) Engine Plant for use in production of the mid-size vehicle in Russia and other CIS countries. GAZ also will utilize this engine in the company’s Volga and Gazelle vehicles.
GAZ, Russia’s second-largest automotive manufacturer, builds 250,000 cars, minivans, and pickup trucks annually and owns approximately 18 percent of the Russian new vehicle market.
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... en Russie