Daimler sold a French plant to Ineos for the production of Smart models

Daimler sold a French plant to Ineos for the production of Smart models

The German car group Daimler, the owner of the Mercedes-Benz brand, sold its factory for the production of Smart cars in the northeast of France to the British company Ineos. He said this on Tuesday for the AFP agency a source close to the factory management, who did not want to be named. "The sale was signed on Monday (December 7) evening," the source said, adding that the agreement would maintain 1,300 of the 1,500 jobs at the Hambach plant. The petrochemical company Ineos plans to produce the so-called off-road Grenadier, which is its first "foray" into the automotive industry. She originally wanted to produce it in Wales, but said this summer that she was considering buying a plant in Hambach instead. German automotive giant Daimler was surprised to announce that it would offer the Hambach plant for sale in an effort to reduce costs as it faced losses due to a new coronavirus pandemic. However, it will continue to manufacture Smart electric cars and parts of Mercedes' new electric SUV at the French plant until 2024, said a source from Hambach. The carmaker's departure from Hambach marks the end of an era that began with great fame in 1997, when German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated a plant to produce a small two-seater city car. Factory communications director Jean-Yves Schmitt told AFP that both Daimler and Ineos would issue sales statements later on Tuesday.