Magna, the Canadian supplier that hopes to buy 55% of General Motors' European Opel and Vauxhall business in a consortium with Russia's Sberbank, scored a coup with a contract to build the gull-winged Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar.
Magna will assemble the 563-horsepower SLS at its assembly plant in Steyr, Austria.
The SLS AMG will be Mercedes' flagship model in terms of prestige and technology when it goes on sale next year.
That makes the deal to assemble the car a major endorsement of Magna's promise that it will erect a firewall between its customers' technology and the development of future Opel and Vauxhall vehicles. Volkswagen and BMW -- both major Magna customers -- have expressed concern about having their technology and production plans in the hands of a company that competes by building vehicles.
The SLS AMG is expected to cost more than $260,000. The car borrows some of its styling from Mercedes' iconic 1954 gull-wing 300SL.
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