Porsche extends working relationship with Valmet Automotive

Over 180,000 Boxsters and Caymans assembled in Finland since 1997

Stuttgart/Uusikaupunki - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, is maintaining its successful relationship with Finnish production partner Valmet Automotive for the mid-engine Boxster and Cayman models. “We have extended our contract with Valmet – an option that was always open to us – until 2011. Our Finnish partner will continue to provide the production capacity that we lack at the Zuffenhausen site for the assembly of the mid-engine Boxster and the Cayman models”, said Michael Macht, Executive Vice President Production and Logistics, at celebrations on October 16 in Uusikaupunki marking ten years of collaboration with Valmet.

The Boxster was initially built exclusively in Zuffenhausen in 1996. Since high demand for the 911 absorbed Porsche’s entire production capacity, however, Boxster production was in part outsourced to Valmet in 1997. Since then, the Finnish company has assembled over 180,000 vehicles in the Boxster series and, in so doing, fulfilled the heavily monitored quality requirements of the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer. The engines for these vehicles are still built by Porsche in Zuffenhausen and sent, together with other parts and components, by train to Finland.

Valmet Automotive is one of the world’s leading contract manufacturers. The US market-research institute J.D. Power has already singled out Porsche’s Boxster and Cayman models for their outstanding product quality and manufacturing on a number of occasions.

Photo: Porsche

(Oct 26, 2007)