Valmet is not a car manufacturer in the usual sense of the term, because it doesn’t put its name on the cars it builds. Valmet is a contract manufacturer. Normal car manufacturers buy its services when they want to build a car in such a low volume that they don’t want to build a new factory for it, or when a model has so much success that its production capacity is not enough.

Valmet, a finnish company, started by building Saab, but since 1997, it is widely known as the manufacturer of the Porsche Boxster. That contract with Porsche ends in 2012, and that might well mark the end of the classic gasoline car in Uusikaupunki, where Valmet’s factory sits. They will build electric and plug-in hybrid cars instead!

Valmet has been chosen by Fisker Automotive, the finnish company will be the sole manufacturer of the beautiful Karma plug-in hybrid sedan. Separatly, Valmet signed a partnership with Think, they are now manufacturing the little Think City electric car. Valmet will have both cars in regular production in a few months.

Do you know of any other manufacturer that builds an electric and a plug-in hybrid under the same roof?