[QUOTE=blinkwatt][QUOTE=MNBoxster]
M502 - Produced by Valmet Automotive (Valtion Metallitehtaat), Uusikaupunki, Finland
Quote:
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Originally Posted by MNBoxster
I heard that the demand for Boxsters was so great at a point that Porsche couldn't supply them fast enough that they had to make some in Finland. Is there any difference from the ones made in Finland compared to Germany?
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Hi,
Virtually 85% (
though some German Built cars are in the US) of the Boxsters and Caymans built for the US Market are assembled in Uusikaupunki, Finland by Valmet, a Specialty Contract Car Assembler. The 11th character in the VIN # notes the Assembly Plant for your particular Car and is either an
S for Stuttgart or a
U for Uusikaupunki (Valmet).
Valmet specializes in Convertibles and at the moment the factory produces Porsche Boxsters, Caymans, and Saab 9.3 convertibles. Until summer 1997, Valmet Automotive made all the Opel Calibras that were produced. Recently Valmet Automotive gave up assembling Euro-Samara, a car of Russian origin.
Apart from sub-contract assembly for other Manufacturers, Valmet Automotive acts as an Independent Systems Supplier for the automotive industry. It has been trying to act as a link between Eastern and Western automotive industries, and to develop and produce cars for both markets.
The capacity of the production line is 100,000 cars a year and over 1 million cars have been produced throughout the history of the factory when production began in 1969.
While there are no published Warranty Statistics distinguishing between German and Finnish built cars, I was told by an Exec at PCNA that there are fewer claims on the Valmet produced Cars.
Also note, Porsche has a history, almost from the beginning, of sub-contracting many of their Cars. Skoda, the Czechoslovakian Auto Maker, produced all of the 914’s as well as some 911s, so there’s nothing inferior about having a Car produced for Porsche by Valmet. Hope this helps…
Happy Motoring!... Jim’99