Transformation: Daimler, Smart-factory-Hambach for sale

the conversion of The car industry has many facets. In a single day, Daimler announced on the one hand, to participate in the Chinese battery cell SpezialistenFarasis that had gone in the night to the stock exchange. A few hours later, Eder, Stuttgart Fahrzeugkonzernandererseitsdas announced the end of the Hambach as Daimler-site. It is a buyer is looking for – "with the aim to give the site the best possible perspective for the future."

Susanne Preuß

business correspondent in Stuttgart, Germany.

affects of 1600 employees, the manufacture is currently in Hambach in Lorraine, even the smallest car, the Smart. Anyway, only the two electric two-seater will be (as a convertible and closed) there is produced, with moderate success.Only 117.000 were sold in the past year, in the first quarter of 2020, only 5900.The Chinese AutoherstellerGeely, whose owner is LiShufuder largest Daimler shareholder, wants to position Smart as a pure electric brand and to produce in China.

For the location of Hambach was drawn against the former Board of management Chairman Dieter Zetsche a vision of the future, with those in France and great love in thrust: in the future there electric Mercedes should be-compact car manufactured was the Plan,denZetschevor two-year public effect of the French President inChamps-Elysee recited.500 million euros in investments were announced to modernize the plant and expand, which also had drawn at the time of its inauguration in 1997, the highest political prominence to Lorraine,the former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and French President Jacques Chirac.

Daimler and Farais build strategic partnership

but Now Hambach, Daimler to the load, because the capacity of the Corona-crisis are in any case much too large.The Dismantling is expensive. A three-digit million Euro amount Daimler is planning for the Restrukturierungin Hambach vorerstein. In the further course of the further charges could be added, says a press release by Daimler. A devaluation of the investment is recorded in the second quarter, but will have no effect on the Free Cash Flow of the industrial business. Detailed Figures for the second quarter, Daimler attaches only at the 23. July.