Magna Steyr Launches 9-3 Drop-Top

Production of the new Saab 9-3 convertible is under way at the Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. KG plant in Graz, Austria, marking the first time a Saab car is being manufactured outside of Scandinavia.

Until now, all Saab cars were built in Sweden or Finland. Magna Steyr builds the car and also engineered it. Two hundred engineers and technicians worked on the project for 36 months.

“When the decision around this car was made, we were searching for a partner who could realize such a complex project, guarding the characteristics which make a Saab a true Saab, and contribute its own experience to improve the outcome even further,” says Gregory Deveson, Saab Automobile's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Most of the E60 million ($68 million) investment paid for 44 robots in the body shop and a new assembly line with 50 workstations.

About 300 cars were built before the official Job 1 ceremony. Current production is 25 to 35 cars daily, with a goal of 102 cars per day on two shifts to be reached in September, with employment of about 750 people.

Herbert Demel, Magna Steyr's president and CEO, says production will reach 10,000 units in 2003. Production capacity is about 25,000 vehicles annually.