Dutch car maker Spyker is relocating its manufacturing facilities to the UK in a cost saving move. The relocation should be completed by year end.
The best known Dutch car maker Spyker is throwing off its laid back ‘Schmokin’ persona by moving its car production to the UK, where constant cups of tea will be the order of the day instead of tulips and a schmoke.
So why would Spyker up-sticks and move its identity to the UK? Simple – cost savings. Spyker’s main supplier is CPP (Manufacturing) Ltd in Coventry and over half of the input of Spyker cars comes from the UK, so there are plenty of logistical and financial reasons to move car production to the UK.
But Spyker will still be based in Holland, with all its Engineering, Corporate staff functions, Sales, After-Sales, Marketing and “Spyker Squadron”, the company’s Works’ GT race team, remaining in Zeewolde. Which might in itself add new logistical issues, but less so than those presented with its current car building setup.
According to Spyker, just 45 jobs will be affected in Holland and the workers concerned will get full assistance from Spyker to find new jobs.
Although Spyker sales are small, this is still good news for the UK economy. Spyker are starting to recover from the doldrums of the last few years and problems with their financial structure, and are planning on pushing hard in to the US market with cars like the new C8 Aileron they revealed in March, and the C8 Aileron Spyder which was revealed at Pebble Beach this year. And let’s not forget the Spyker D8 SUV which, despite its agonising gestation, should finally see the light of day at Geneva next year, if not before.
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