El presidente de la compañía, Frank Stronach, informó en Ottawa que quiere lanzar la fabricación masiva de autos eléctricos en Canadá dentro de tres años, proyecto para el que pidió la ayuda del gobierno canadiense.
Mostrando un vehículo con motor eléctrico que Magna desarrolló en asociación con la automotriz Ford, Stronach dijo que estaba siendo "cortejados" por firmas en Estados Unidos y Europa para producir ese auto eléctrico, pero que quería que primero fuera fabricado en Canadá.
Magna está invirtiendo 300 millones de dólares en este proyecto. El prototipo desarrollado con Ford tiene una autonomía de 160 kilómetros.
"Somos serios y tenemos un compromiso serio. Yo quisiera que la primera planta de producción de autos eléctricos sea en Canadá. Sabemos que podemos acelerar esto si conseguimos un préstamo a una tasa (de interés) razonable", indicó Stronach a la prensa en Ottawa.
El presidente de Magna, un inmigrante de origen austriaco que hace 40 años creó la firma produciendo partes para General Motors, pronosticó que dentro de seis años el 15 por ciento de los automóviles que se vendan en el mundo serán eléctricos o híbridos.
Asimismo, estimó que para 2021, ese porcentaje se incrementará a 30 por ciento.
Magna International, cuya matriz está en Aurora, en la provincia de Ontario, tiene una plantilla laboral de 74.000 trabajadores en 25 países. Además de producir autopartes, la empresa ensambla automóviles en Europa.
La semana pasada, Magna acordó comprar el 20 por ciento de las acciones de Opel en Europa en colaboración con el banco ruso Sberbank -que adquirió el 35 por ciento-, con el objetivo de producir los modelos de Opel en Rusia.
Magna International Inc, que ganó la carrera por hacerse con Opel, unidad alemana de GM, no puede vender autos de esa marca en Estados Unidos ni en China, señaló el presidente del fabricante canadiense.
Frank Stronach aseguró también que espera que Opel logre el equilibrio financiero en tres años y que vuelva a dar ganancias en cuatro años.
"El acuerdo con General Motors previene que vendamos Opel en Estados Unidos", indicó Stronach a periodistas en una conferencia de prensa en Ottawa.
Consultado sobre si la veda también abarca a China, el ejecutivo respondió: "Sí, por el momento, pero tengan en cuenta que General Motors (…) aún es dueña de un 35 por ciento (de Opel)". Stronach sugirió que la prohibición sobre las ventas de Opel en China podría ser flexible.
"Si tiene sentido económico podrían persuadir a la gente en cambiar algo," señaló. Ahora que Magna ha acordado invertir en Opel, Stronach mostró poco apetito para comprar Saturn y Saab, otras unidades de GM, que intenta sacarse esas marcas de encima.
"Ahora tenemos que digerir a Opel y tenemos un gran bocado, así que veremos cuan rápido sucede," señaló. Stronach estaba en la capital canadiense para buscar fondos del Gobierno para un proyecto de producir sistemas para autos eléctricos y, eventualmente, vehículos eléctricos.
"Estoy muy confiado de que Magna estará entre los líderes en la venta y fabricación de autos eléctricos", dijo, luego de demostrar un prototipo de Ford con un sistema eléctrico de Magna.
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Canada could become big player in electric cars industry, says Magna
Magna International Inc. chairman Frank Stronach says he wants to start mass-producing electric cars in Canada within three years.
The head of Canada’s largest auto parts maker was in Ottawa on Tuesday seeking government support for his new electric vehicle venture after Magna cemented a deal with General Motors Corp. to acquire the U.S. automaker’s money-losing Opel car brand in Europe.
Unveiling the fully electric compact that Magna developed in partnership with Ford Motor Co., Stronach said he is being courted by the U.S. and Europe but he wants his first electric cars to come off a Canadian assembly line.
"We are very serious, we have a serious commitment," he told reporters. "In 12 years we see 30% of all cars being electric. There will be very fierce competition in the world for that market, but I feel very strongly Magna will be among leaders," Mr. Stronach, the chairman of Magna International, said at a news conference adjacent to Parliament Hill, where a Ford Focus battery electric car being developed in partnership with Magna was on display.
"One of the main reasons I’m here today . . . is that I would like to see that the first electrical car facilities are in Canada. If we could get a loan we know we could speed it up. If we could get a loan, we could make sure it’s in Canada."
The first stage of that process would involve the production of lithium ion battery systems for electric cars. Mr. Stronach said the company has so far spent $200-million of the $300-million necessary to develop the project, although he refused to specify how much it is seeking from Ottawa.
Mr. Stronach said Magna had secured for $50-million the rights to lithium-ion battery technology developed by a South Korean manufacturer, saying the auto parts maker couldn’t wait the seven or eight years it would have taken to develop its own products.
Mr. Stronach said the company could begin mass producing battery systems, and entire electric cars, within three years.
In April, Magna announced a major push into electric vehicles through a strategic alliance with Ford Motor Co. to supply key components for a battery-powered vehicle.
Mr. Stronach also said Tuesday that the terms of Magna’s investment in German auto maker Opel from General Motors Corp. prevent it from selling Opel autos in the United States or China, although he expressed optimism that those terms could be revisited.
"I would like to see that the first electric car facilities are in Canada. If we would get a loan at a reasonable rate, we know we could speed it up, we would make sure it will be in Canada."
If successful, an electric car assembly operation in Canada would provide badly needed jobs in a troubled industry and help the global parts giant cash in on the growing demand for low-pollution vehicles in the marketplace over the next few years.
Toyota, with its Prius, and Honda, with its new Insight, already have hybrid electric-gasoline cars, and General Motors plans to mass produce its new Volt fully electric vehicle at a U.S. plant and get them into dealer showrooms by the end of 2010.
The world’s former No. 1 auto maker filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday – the largest ever for an industrial company – and said it hopes to move forward with just four core brands – Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
It also plans a spate of new fuel-efficient and low-polluting models, including the Volt, a critical piece of GM’s vehicle lineup for the future.
GM experimented but failed with electric cars in the past. However, the Volt is seen as a sure-fire winner by the Detroit company, especially in a future market of younger buyers worried about soaring gasoline prices and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Volt is an extended-range all electric vehicle with a powerful battery pack that uses cutting-edge lithium-ion technology. The vehicle also has a small gasoline engine to replenish the battery power when it gets low, not to drive the car.
Stronach said he believes within six years about 15 per cent of cars sold will be electric or the hybrid variety, with the percentage doubling by 2021.
An official with the Aurora, Ont. parts maker, which employs 74,000 people in 25 countries, said the model being developed with Ford is aiming for a 160-kilometre range without recharging.
Magna (TSX:MG.A) is putting in about $300 million into the project and is seeking low-interest loans from the federal government for about half the total cost.
But Stronach came to Ottawa without any guarantee he would be seeing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, although he said he hoped to arrange a meeting.
The electric vehicle is a major step by Magna to diversify its business away from auto parts, a sector hit hard by the slump in GM, Ford and Chrysler, Magna’s main customers.
Besides electric vehicles, Austrian-born Stronach wants to expand Magna’s vehicle assembly operations and use the Opel deal to boost sales to Russia, which could soon become Europe’s largest car market and help Magna decrease its dependence on North America.
Magna has also been looking to other customers like Volkswagen, BMW and Toyota.
Saturday’s Opel deal calls for Magna to take a 20 per cent stake in the German company and for state-controlled Russian lender Sberbank to take a 35 per cent stake, giving their consortium a majority.
GM will keep 35 per cent, while the remaining 10 per cent will go to Opel employees.
The Magna chairman appeared less certain about whether any of Opel’s European-based manufacturing plants would be transferred to Canada, suggesting a sticking point is an agreement with GM not to sell Opels in the U.S. market.
Last week, Stronach said he wants to build Opels in Canada, but although he repeated that wish Tuesday, he suggested availability to the larger U.S. market is essential before the company could make that commitment to manufacture in Canada.
"I’m very optimistic we can sit down and work out concepts and structures which would be beneficial to GM and to Magna and also to Canada," he added.
Stronach described the global auto market as extremely competitive, but said he believes the Opel unit will break even in three years and turn a profit in four years.
In another matter, he called the massive bailouts of GM and Chrysler as necessary, given the jobs at stake and that the car companies were adversely impacted by the global recession.
"If it were only the car industry and the rest of the world economy was functioning, then it wouldn’t have been right to bail out the car companies," he said.
"But if they had gone bankrupt and were sold in bits and pieces, the spinoff effects would have been a few million jobs (lost) between Canada and the United States."
Stronach, whose company runs mostly non-union plants, said he has one major concern over what he called the "confrontational culture" that exists between management and unions in the North American auto sector. He said that culture has greatly handicapped the industry.
An official with the Aurora, Ont., parts maker, which employs 74,000 people in 25 countries, said the model being developed with Ford is aiming for a 160-kilometre range without recharging.
Magna is putting in about $300 million into the project and is seeking low-interest loans from the federal government for about half the total cost.
But Stronach came to Ottawa without any guarantee he would be seeing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, although he said he hoped to arrange a meeting.
The electric vehicle is a major step by Magna to diversify its business away from auto parts, a sector hit hard by the slump in GM, Ford and Chrysler, Magna’s main customers.
