Ineos has acquired the Smart factory in Hambach
- After tough negotiations, the Daimler group agreed to sell its Smart factory in Hambach (France) to the British industrialist Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe, head of the Ineos group. Ineos’ project is to manufacture an SUV at the Hambach plant to replace the small Smart Fortwos produced there since 1998 (nearly 2 million units in total).
- The Daimler group has in fact decided to transfer the production of Smart Fortwo from France to China, under the guidance of the Geely group (owner of Volvo and shareholder of Daimler). This transfer should take place in 2022 or at the latest in 2023.
- The SUV that will be manufactured in Hambach will be derived from the Grenadier which was unveiled last September. This model is inspired by the old Land Rover Defender whose production ceased in Solihull (England) in 2016.
- The Grenadier will therefore become the largest model produced in series in France, in particular because it will be equipped with large petrol and diesel six-cylinder engines (of BMW origin). This production may go against the wishes of the French government whose an announced objective is to place France at the forefront of the European automotive industry for low-emission vehicles.
- In fact, it was really necessary to quickly find a buyer for the Hambach plant and Ineos positioned itself very quickly to take over this plant. It is possible that after the “Grenadier”, Ineos moves towards a more environmentally friendly production. For now, we can expect production in the range of 15,000 to 25,000 Grenadiers per year, if the model manages to find its audience. This quantity is practically identical to that of the Smart Fortwo produced in Hambach in 2020.
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