Spyker Moving to England
You’re rich. You’re car shopping. You’ve been in friends’ Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and they don’t quite cut it. Maseratis are nice, but not rare enough, and Astons are rapidly becoming just a wee bit too popular for your liking. And a Porsche... well, they’re downright pedestrian.
Then chances are good you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for in a Spyker. A Dutch supercar manufacturer of exquisite quality and style, Spyker’s one of the lowest volume producers in the world, making their mid-engined supercar line some of the most desirable in the world, especially when you factor in the almost unparalleled build quality demonstrated in their products’ quilted leather and engine-turned aluminum interiors, and hand-polished machined aluminum pieces.
But, as with any other luxury product, the recession hit Spyker hard, necessitating the implementation of some cost-reduction measures. The biggest of which is the transplantation of the entire Spyker production line from Zeewolde to Coventry, England. With half the vehicles’ parts coming from UK suppliers, the move brings the assembly process closer to the part manufacturers. However, Spyker will maintain its headquarters in Zeewolde, keeping approximate 90 jobs in the Netherlands wile 45 production line jobs will be moved to the new Coventry facility owned by CPP Manufacturing. Victor R. Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars stated: "In these challenging times, a small manufacturer like Spyker has to find ways to reduce costs as well as improve its efficiency. By relocating vehicle assembly to CPP (Manufacturing), which was Spyker's very first contracting partner at the inception of our company in 2000 and has been one of our most trusted partners ever since, we secure the future of our business. We realise that jobs will be affected in the Netherlands but we believe this move is necessary under the current economic circumstances and is in the best interest of the company and all of its stakeholders," he added.
Brendan O'Toole, Managing Director of CPP (Manufacturing), stated: "We have worked closely with Spyker since 2000 when we built their very first prototype chassis, and have grown with Spyker to become one of the leading low-volume manufacturers in the industry. We will maintain the highest standards of quality in the assembly of Spyker vehicles, while at the same time achieving significant cost reductions and operational efficiencies for Spyker".
