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The French Thales Group has taken over the insolvent Austrian engine manufacturer Steyr Motors. After the takeover by a Chinese financial investor in 2012, Steyr Motors ran into liquidity problems with the Chinese managing director appointed in 2018 and initiated a restructuring process.

Among other things, Steyr Motors supplies engines for numerous military vehicles, including the Defenture Vector, a special forces vehicle for the Dutch Corps Commandotroepem. The Duro value maintenance program in Switzerland, for example, came under pressure due to delivery problems. In the program, the Steyr engine was replaced by a Fiat engine. This results in additional costs of around seven million euros.

At Thales, the 4×4 Hawkei, of which 1,100 have been built for the Australian armed forces since 2017, is equipped with a Steyr engine.

With the takeover of Steyr Motors and its 140 employees, Thales secures the supply of engines for its vehicles. According to Thales, the order books are full for the next two years.

Gerhard Heiming