Fisker Karma production at standstill
Poor sales have brought production of hybrid Fisker Karma cars to a standstill at the Valmet Automotive plant in Uusikaupunki. However, the company is now gearing up to manufacture Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars and the Russian Marussia B2 sports car.
Valmet Automotive says that there are plans to resume production of the luxury Fisker Karma hybrid cars at a later date.
However, this autumn, the company has laid off between 400-500 of its 900 plant employees because of a production break in the wake of slow sales.
The Fisker Karma has run into technical problems, including the car's batteries, which according to US reports have caused fires. The battery manufacturer, A123 System, filed for bankruptcy earlier this autumn.
Meanwhile, Valmet is tooling up to manufacture Mercedes-Benz A-Class vehicles. More than 100,000 A-Class vehicles are planned to be manufactured from 2013 to 2016.
Valmet Automotive and Russia's first high-performance car company, Marussia Motors, have an agreement on strategic partnership, and production of the luxury Marussia B2 sports car is also to start in Uusikaupunki.
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