BMW has canceled the contract with VDL Nedcar to build BMWs and Minis in Born in Limburg after 2023. As a result, the future of the only car factory in the Netherlands has become uncertain again, because it is still unclear what BMW will do with the production of the Minis in Born after 2022, another brand of the German car group.

In Born, production dropped to more than 174.000 cars last year, against 211.660 in the peak year 2018. According to the Financieel Dagblad failed turnover therefore increased by 15%. In the first three months of 2020, sales even fell by 30% compared to a year earlier, mainly because the factory stopped producing in the second half of March.

BMW has since confirmed the message, but will keep an eye on other possible models. The listed VDL Groep, the parent company of Nedcar, has not yet released any information about the latest developments. BMW may remain on board as a customer for the Minis Countryman and Convertible.

VDL now has to hope for a follow-up contract for the production of Minis, or to attract new partners. VDL Nedcar prepared for the latter according to the FD for by working on expanding the factory site with a new production hall. The land has already been purchased. But it is unclear whether that growth will follow. The crisis in the car industry is great. New car sales have collapsed in recent months.

Since mid-2014, BMW has been the only customer of the Dutch car factory that employs around 5.000 people. Before that, cars for Mitsubishi were also manufactured in Born. VDL Nedcar has therefore been looking for and talking to car brands for some time that want to have one or more of their models produced in Born, so that the company becomes less dependent on BMW. VDL Nedcar currently runs entirely on orders from BMW. After all, the MINI models made in Born are also produced on behalf of BMW.

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