Eurostar Automobilwerk

The Eurostar Automobilwerk GesmbH & Co. KG is a former subsidiary of the automotive corporation DaimlerChrysler. It was established in 1990, and it mainly produced Chrysler automobiles at the factory located in Graz-Liebenau, Austria. In 2002, it was incorporated into Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. KG. The factory area covered 221,180 square metres.

The company was founded on 13 February 1990 as a 50/50 joint venture between the Chrysler Corporation and the Steyr-Daimler-Puch Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. KG. The construction of the new plant began in March. It was built by the construction company consortium of Ed. Ast & Co. Baugesellschaft mbH and Universale Bau AG. After 19 months the construction work was completed and the installation of the assembly line began. The series production of Chrysler Voyager and the Chrysler Grand Voyager was initiated at the opening ceremony of Lee Iacocca on 29 April 1992. After a successful launch, a second shift began to work. In March 1995, the 100,000th Chrysler Voyager rolled off the assembly line. In November, a new generation was introduced. New robots and more automation improved the processing quality of the vehicles. The following year, the company began with the mass production of right-hand drive vehicles. The maximum annual production capacity of the plant was at 55,000 vehicles. In 1998, DaimlerChrysler decided to buy the plant and incorporates it into the group as one of its subsidiaries.

In late 1999, the constructions for a plant expansion were started. The expansion lasted over a year and covered a new area of 7,000 m². The extension was necessary to enable the planned assembly of diesel motorized units of the new Chrysler PT Cruiser. Approximately 600 new jobs were created. The company has invested a sum of €58 million for the expansion. At the same time a modification of the assembly line for the Voyagers was done. The assembly of the fourth generation Voyager started in January 2001, and that of the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Chrysler PT Cruiser Cabrio in July.