It’s official: Daimler has sold its Smart factory in Hambach, France to Ineos. Ineos will build the Grenadier at the factory.
Throughout the autumn, talks about a takeover of the Smart factory by Ineos and a month ago it seemed almost through the church. Now it is official and Daimler reports that Ineos is indeed taking over. The acquisition will be completed administratively ‘in the coming weeks’. Markus Schäfer, board member of Daimler AG, explains the acquisition: “For us it was very important to do this in a socially responsible manner and to secure jobs. Together with the social partners, politicians and the buyer Ineos Automotive we have found a feasible solution for Hambach that offers the location a clear future perspective. ” About 1,300 of the 1,600 jobs in Hambach have been secured.
Hambach builds the electric Smart Fortwo and Fortwo Cabrio under Daimler. Production of the first Smart Fortwo began in 1998. Next year, the factory near the German border will be prepared for the production of the Ineos Grenadier. According to the latest plans, it should roll off the production line from 2022. The Grenadier is an off-road vehicle that bears strong resemblance to the old Land Rover Defender. Smart in turn moves its production to China. This is related to the partial takeover of Smart by Geely.