NedCar
Encyclopedia
NedCar, officially Netherlands Car B.V. and a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Motors
, is the only large-scale automaker
in the Netherlands
. Based in Born
on a 927,000 m2 site, it has a capacity of approximately 200,000 vehicles, and produced its millionth vehicle, a Mitsubishi Space Star
, on October 4, 2000. The factory itself has produced more than 4.5 million cars since 1967.
(DAF), and continued after the takeover of its parent by Volvo
in 1972–75. 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 February 15, 1999 the Dutch government sold its shares to its two partners, which then owned 50 percent each. Later, on March 30, 2001, Volvo sold its shares to Mitsubishi, which now owns 100 percent. The last Volvo automobiles were built in 2004.
, which has been built since 2004. It also produced the Colt's sister vehicle, the Smart Forfour
, for DaimlerChrysler
until production ceased in mid-2006. 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. Industrial action in 2005 protested 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
have had their production transferred from Japan to the Netherlands from 2008, while since 2009 the Outlander-based Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007
for the European market have also been assembled at Born. Labour union FNV
, NedCar COO
Joost Goovaarts and the works council
have said it is a step towards securing the future of the plant.
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
, is the only large-scale automaker
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Based in Born
Born (Netherlands)
Born is a town of approximately 6,000 inhabitants in the Dutch municipality of Sittard-Geleen. It has a port on the Julianakanaal . Born is also the site of the car factory Nedcar. It has a zoo....
on a 927,000 m2 site, it has a capacity of approximately 200,000 vehicles, and produced its millionth vehicle, a Mitsubishi Space Star
Mitsubishi Space Star
The Mitsubishi Space Star is a mini MPV from Mitsubishi Motors, built in the NedCar factory in the Netherlands, a joint facility shared with Volvo, and is primarily sold on the European markets. It shares its platform with the Mitsubishi Carisma and Volvo S40/V40, and was first introduced to the...
, on October 4, 2000. The factory itself has produced more than 4.5 million cars since 1967.
History
The factory was founded in 1967 by the former Van Doorne's Automobiel FabriekDAF Trucks
DAF Trucks NV is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of PACCAR. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium...
(DAF), and continued after the takeover of its parent by Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
in 1972–75. When financial difficulties threatened to close it down in the early 1990s the government stepped in to ensure its survival. A joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between the Dutch State, Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
and Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
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 February 15, 1999 the Dutch government sold its shares to its two partners, which then owned 50 percent each. Later, on March 30, 2001, Volvo sold its shares to Mitsubishi, which now owns 100 percent. The last Volvo automobiles were built in 2004.
Production
Currently NedCar produces one vehicle, the Mitsubishi ColtMitsubishi Colt
The Mitsubishi Colt is a vehicle built by Mitsubishi Motors since 1962. It was first introduced as a series of kei cars and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then as the export version of the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback in the 1980s and 1990s...
, which has been built since 2004. It also produced the Colt's sister vehicle, the Smart Forfour
Smart Forfour
The Smart Forfour was a supermini produced by Smart between April 2004 and June 2006. Unlike the other models of the marque, the Forfour was a more conventional five-door hatchback with a relatively roomy interior, available as a four-/five-seater....
, for DaimlerChrysler
DaimlerChrysler
Daimler AG is a German car corporation. By unit sales, it is the thirteenth-largest car manufacturer and second-largest truck manufacturer in the world. In addition to automobiles, Daimler manufactures buses and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm...
until production ceased in mid-2006. 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. Industrial action in 2005 protested 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
Mitsubishi Outlander
The Airtrek was first introduced to the Japanese market on June 20, 2001, priced from ¥1.7–2.3 million. It offered a choice of either a 4G63 2.0 L or a 4G64 2.4 L GDI, mated to a standard INVECS-II 4-speed semi-automatic transmission. Both front- and four-wheel drive were available...
have had their production transferred from Japan to the Netherlands from 2008, while since 2009 the Outlander-based Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007
Peugeot 4007
The Peugeot 4007 is a compact crossover SUV produced by the French automobile manufacturer Peugeot since July 2007.The equivalent Citroën badge-engineered version is the C-Crosser, both of which will be produced by Mitsubishi in its Nedcar plant, in Netherlands on the basis of the new Outlander...
for the European market have also been assembled at Born. Labour union FNV
Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging
The Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging is a federation of trade unions of the Netherlands.-History:...
, NedCar COO
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
Joost Goovaarts and the works council
Works council
A works council is a "shop-floor" organization representing workers, which functions as local/firm-level complement to national labour negotiations...
have said it is a step towards securing the future of the plant.
Current and future models
- Mitsubishi Colt/CZ3Mitsubishi ColtThe Mitsubishi Colt is a vehicle built by Mitsubishi Motors since 1962. It was first introduced as a series of kei cars and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then as the export version of the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback in the 1980s and 1990s...
(2004–present) - Mitsubishi OutlanderMitsubishi OutlanderThe Airtrek was first introduced to the Japanese market on June 20, 2001, priced from ¥1.7–2.3 million. It offered a choice of either a 4G63 2.0 L or a 4G64 2.4 L GDI, mated to a standard INVECS-II 4-speed semi-automatic transmission. Both front- and four-wheel drive were available...
(2008-present) - Citroen C-Crosser (2010-present)
- Peugeot 4007Peugeot 4007The Peugeot 4007 is a compact crossover SUV produced by the French automobile manufacturer Peugeot since July 2007.The equivalent Citroën badge-engineered version is the C-Crosser, both of which will be produced by Mitsubishi in its Nedcar plant, in Netherlands on the basis of the new Outlander...
(2010-present)
Historic models
- DAF 33DAF 33The 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....
(1967–72) - DAF 44DAF 44The 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...
(1967–75) - DAF 55DAF 55The DAF 55 is a small family car produced by the Dutch company DAF from December 1967 to September 1972. At that time it was replaced with the DAF 66....
(1968–72) - DAF 66DAF 66The 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...
(1972–75) - DAF 46DAF 46The 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 there were still substantial stocks of the earlier...
(1975–76) - Volvo 66Volvo 66The Volvo 66 was a Swedish automobile. It sprang directly from the DAF 66, which was originally styled by Michelotti. The compact car was introduced in August 1975, almost exactly a year after Volvo Cars bought DAF, and before production of the Volvo 300 series began.The Volvo 66 was known for its...
(1975–81) - Volvo 340/360Volvo 300 seriesThe Volvo 300 series is a rear wheel drive automobile sold as both a hatchback and a conventional saloon from 1976-1991. It was launched in the Netherlands shortly after Volvo acquired a major stake in the passenger car division of DAF in 1973...
(1976–91) - Volvo 480Volvo 480The Volvo 480 is a car with an unusual 4-seat, 3-door hatchback body, somewhere between liftback and estate in form, though marketed as a coupé...
(1986–95) - Volvo 440/460Volvo 440The Volvo 440 and 460 are versions of a family car produced by the Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars. They were built at the DAF factory in the Netherlands, and released in Europe in 1987 and 1989 respectively....
(1987–97) - Volvo S40/V40Volvo S40The Volvo S40 is a small family car produced by Volvo. It introduced the first generation S40 and V40 cars in 1995...
(1995–2004) - Mitsubishi CarismaMitsubishi CarismaThe Mitsubishi Carisma is a large family car produced for the European market by Mitsubishi Motors from 1995 to 2004. The model name was derived from a combination of the English car and the Greek kharisma, meaning "divine gift"...
(1995–2004) - Mitsubishi Space StarMitsubishi Space StarThe Mitsubishi Space Star is a mini MPV from Mitsubishi Motors, built in the NedCar factory in the Netherlands, a joint facility shared with Volvo, and is primarily sold on the European markets. It shares its platform with the Mitsubishi Carisma and Volvo S40/V40, and was first introduced to the...
(1998–2005) - Smart ForfourSmart ForfourThe Smart Forfour was a supermini produced by Smart between April 2004 and June 2006. Unlike the other models of the marque, the Forfour was a more conventional five-door hatchback with a relatively roomy interior, available as a four-/five-seater....
(2004–06)
Annual output
| Year | Units | Models |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 94,019 | Volvo 440/460, Volvo 480 |
| 1993 | 80,246 | Volvo 440/460, Volvo 480 |
| 1994 | 92,044 | Volvo 440/460, Volvo 480 |
| 1995 | 98,454 | Volvo 440/460, Volvo 480, Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma |
| 1996 | 145,090 | Volvo 440/460, Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma |
| 1997 | 197,225 | Volvo 440/460, Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma |
| 1998 | 242,804 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Space Star |
| 1999 | 262,196 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Space Star |
| 2000 | 214,974 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Space Star |
| 2001 | 189,188 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Space Star |
| 2002 | 182,368 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Space Star |
| 2003 | 163,130 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Space Star |
| 2004 | 187,600 | Volvo S40/V40, Mitsubishi Carisma, Mitsubishi Colt, Mitsubishi Space Star, Smart Forfour |
| 2005 | 115,121 | Mitsubishi Colt, Mitsubishi Space Star, Smart Forfour |
| 2006 | c. Circa Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date... 87,000 |
Mitsubishi Colt/CZ3, Smart Forfour |
| 2007 | - | Mitsubishi Colt/CZ3 |
| 2008 | - | Mitsubishi Colt/CZ3, Mitsubishi Outlander |
| 2009 | - | Mitsubishi Colt/CZ3, Mitsubishi Outlander |