|
VDL Nedcar is undergoing a transition from an independent car manufacturer to a broad partner in sustainable mobility. This increases both the added value and the future-proofing of the country’s only passenger car factory, where series production is carried out for third parties. The expansion of activities at VDL Nedcar in Born is evident in three areas: vehicle assembly for various clients, diverse sustainable mobility solutions in the Mobility Innovation Centre (MIC), and supporting the growth strategies of sister companies, operating companies that are also part of VDL Groep. In recent years, land has been acquired and permitting processes have been completed to accommodate these broad activities at VDL Nedcar in Born.
A new activity aligned with the first track, vehicle assembly, is the production of the world's first convertible with a purely electrical drive, the MINI Cabrio Electric for BMW Group. The start of production for this limited edition model is scheduled for April 2023. ElectricBrands, the German manufacturer of sustainable and innovative electric vehicles, is the first intended e-mobility customer of the MIC. The memorandum of understanding will be developed in the coming period to establish a structural collaboration with ElectricBrands.
VDL Nedcar and ElectricBrands are in discussions about beginning production of two models in Born: the city car Evetta and the modular XBUS. The plan is for the first Evetta to be produced in Born in the second quarter of 2024, and the first XBUS a year later. The associated production volume depends on sales figures. ElectricBrands has already received orders for approximately 16,000 vehicles for the XBUS, and for more than 1,000 vehicles for the Evetta.
“We are pleased that in VDL we have found not only a production location but also a financially stable, healthy, and innovative family business that will build our vehicles,” said founder and CEO Ralf Haller of ElectricBrands. “VDL will support us expertly and with much experience in the further development of our vehicles. This will ultimately benefit our customers who order or have ordered our vehicles.”
“With the proprietary vehicles developed by ElectricBrands, we can jointly contribute to shaping the mobility of the future,” says CEO John van Soerland of VDL Nedcar. “A future in which we perform various tasks simultaneously for multiple partners. The collaboration with ElectricBrands offers prospects for VDL Nedcar.”
In the transition to sustainable e-mobility for passenger cars, there is still much that is new and unknown. A field where collaboration is essential. The same applies to the activities that will take place at the MIC. In addition to assembly for e-mobility, the MIC is developing activities in partnership that align with VDL Groep's broader mobility strategy: design, electrification, connectivity, autonomous driving, and systems.
The MIC is developing a demo line to assemble heavy and complex battery packs. A challenge involving various mobility partners from the Green Transport Delta – Electrification consortium working together. VDL Nedcar has been leading this project since 2021, involving 28 industrial partners and companies, with the aim of developing a battery ecosystem in the Netherlands to accelerate the transition to climate-neutral mobility.
"In Green Transport Delta, we are developing a flexible and automated pilot production line for battery packs where both suppliers and OEMs can jointly gain knowledge," says CTO René Vounckx of VDL Nedcar.
The plan is for this battery line to be tested in March 2023. VDL Nedcar is engaged in constructive discussions with car and bus manufacturers to have their batteries assembled in Born. The knowledge cluster for batteries, Battery Competence Cluster (BCC), of which VDL Groep is a co-founder and partner, supports this project with knowledge and expertise. The importance of battery technology is further underlined by a proposed investment from VDL Groep into the National Growth Fund of over 25 million euros for the further development and scaling of battery technology in the Netherlands.
In the disruptive mobility sector, new skills are also required to remain future-proof. VDL Nedcar will offer its employees the opportunity to align with the tasks of ‘today and tomorrow’ by following training courses. In collaboration with employers’ organizations and educational institutions, the MIC is creating sustainable and hybrid training placements.
After the current production contract expires in 2024, the premium production for BMW Group will come to an end after 10 years. During this period, significant employment has been created through the production of more than one million cars. VDL Nedcar is engaging in constructive talks with various interested parties to continue its activities as an independent car manufacturer.
Our partner BMW Group has recently entrusted VDL Nedcar with the task of beginning production of the first models of the MINI Cabrio Electric, a testament to VDL's electric capabilities. The MINI Cooper SE Cabrio is the world's first convertible with a purely electric drive. The start of production for this limited model (999 cars) in Born is scheduled for April 2023. While it normally takes 1 to 2 years to set up a production line, the skilled staff at VDL Nedcar completed this job in just half a year.
Another activity that VDL Nedcar has recently started is preparing cars for delivery and so-called pre-delivery inspections, inspections of vehicles before they are shipped. In the automotive sector, there is a high demand for service-oriented partners to carry out such projects.
The third avenue being pursued to ensure the long-term continuity of operations and the associated employment at VDL Nedcar is facilitating the growth of various sister companies in Born. These companies, like VDL Nedcar, are part of the parent company VDL Groep – and are active in the field of mobility – and have outgrown their current location. These plans are also being developed.
To prepare VDL Nedcar for the new activities, modifications to the factory in Born are necessary. This involves investments running into hundreds of millions of euros. The infrastructure in the surrounding area will also require adjustments. The completion of the current contract with BMW Group and the start-up of the other activities will, as is known, be accompanied by fluctuations in the workforce. After the startup phases of the intended variety of activities, the aim remains to maintain sustainable employment at VDL Nedcar, a multiple of the situation in 2012.
The transition to sustainable e-mobility ensures that VDL Nedcar in Born sees opportunities to play a leading role in broad and specialized mobility issues, both in independently building vehicles for third parties, developing sustainable mobility solutions within the MIC, and supporting the growth strategy of VDL sister companies. The first steps have already been taken in all three areas. One thing is undeniably clear: VDL Nedcar will continue to exist.
VDL Nedcar in Born is an independent car manufacturer that produces cars on behalf of third parties. It is the only large car factory in the Netherlands that has been part of the industrial family business VDL Group in Eindhoven since late 2012. Currently, approximately 4,000 employees work there. The factory has a production capacity of up to 200,000 cars per year, based on two-shift operations. VDL Nedcar utilises a highly automated production process (1,400 industrial robots). Since its inception in 1967, over 5.5 million cars (DAF, Volvo, Smart, Mitsubishi, MINI, BMW) have rolled off the production line in Born. Currently, VDL Nedcar produces the MINI Cabrio and the MINI Countryman; we also produce the PHEV variant of the MINI Countryman.
www.vdlnedcar.nl
Communications Director and spokesperson for VDL Groep
E: m.timmers@vdl.nl
Tel: +31 6 14767066
Are you a journalist interested in our work, or would you like to focus on VDL Groep for another reason?
Then please contact us.