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Today, we are going to take a look at the production process of a car.
Not just any car, but a car that is build here, in the Netherlands:
The Mitsubishi Outlander, which is build in Born by NedCar.
Born is already on the direction signs, so we're almost there.
Here we are, at the very beginning.
You see huge rolls of steel,
which will be transformed in a Mitsubishi Outlander or Mitsubishi Colt, which they also produce here.
What happens now is that the steel will be unrolled, and put it in a large press machine.
This machine creates several panels of the bodywork in a single and firm motion.
Those panels are welded together, which all together form the basic shape of the car.
When you take a look at this,
you might think: I wonder how they manage to make something of it.
The bodywork of the car is varnished in several steps,
starting with a bath to cover and protect the steel.
The bath is electrically charged, to make sure that it firmly attaches to the bodywork.
The next step is to get the paintwork done,
followed by the assembly line, finally resulting in a complete car.
The best moment in the complete process, is of course the marriage between engine block and bodywork.
The engine blocks are coming from my right side, and the bodywork is hanging on my left side.
Now, the engine block is brought under the bodywork and slowly lifted in the engine compartment.
After this, the foundation of the car has been laid.
In the meanwhile, an engine block passes me independently.
After the marriage, a lot of parts have to be assembled.
For an Outlander, almost 3000! And in this, we count a complete wheel as one part.
While in reality a wheel consists of a rim, tire, valve cap, the valve itself, etc!
So you can imagine how complex it is to build a car.
And especially installing large parts can be impressive, for example a huge door that is hold by a robot.
It's actually not a robot, but a tool.
There are about 700 real robots in this factory and many tools to help people lift heavy parts.
This while the production process of the Colt is even more automated than what we're seeing here.
For example a complete wheel is attached and tightened only by a robot.
While this happens here, for the Outlander, by hand.
Behind me, the car is almost finished to leave the factory.
It's now ready to undergo a quality check, get filled with some gas, wiper fluid etc.
And finally, off to the dealer.
It's pretty cool to take a look at the production process,
because I'm now experiencing this Outlander in a different way compared to this morning.
I must say that I have more respect for this machine now.
It's a long way home, all the way from Limburg.
So I'm really happy with the heated seats, leather lining and the powerful subwoofer in the back!
So you're probably wondering: what's the price off all this?
Well, that's a secret..
Okay okay: 32.499 euro.