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From 1949 to 1972, AMAG assembled around 30,000 vehicles from various brands in Schinznach-Bad. One of these Schinznach-Bad-produced vehicles, a Dodge VIP from the last year of assembly, is now on show in the permanent collection at the Swiss Museum of Transport.

The time of Automontage Schinznach was an age in which cars from foreign manufacturers were assembled in Switzerland – and not only at AMAG in Schinznach-Bad.

An artefact from this age now has a permanent place in the collection at the Swiss Museum of Transport. Visitors can now marvel at a Dodge VIP from the last year of assembly in 1972, which has been provided as a long-term loan from AMAG in the Road Transport Hall.

The Dodge VIP is a special, limited-edition Swiss model released from 1971, which is based on the Dodge Dart, albeit with improved equipment and a vinyl roof.

The Dodge now on show can be considered an almost-new used car, as that is what it was when it was put into storage at the end of the 70s. It had its last motor vehicle inspection on 25 May 1978. It was discharged on 8 February 1979 and has never been registered since.

Martin Bütikofer, Director of the Swiss Museum of Transport, received the classic car as part of the award ceremony at the Swiss Classic Awards at the end of November. When doing so, he honoured this time capsule: “The era of Automontage Schinznach is a significant part of our automotive history in Switzerland. I am delighted that we are now able to exhibit a vehicle which was put into storage as an almost-new used car.”

Dino Graf, Director Group Communication and responsible for the historic collection at the AMAG Group, said, “Reconditioning and registering this vehicle would have irreparably destroyed its truly special character. It was clear that the Dodge VIP should be accessible to the public in the Swiss Museum of Transport, still fitted with its first set of summer tyres.”

View the report here.

AMAG Group AG has concluded a long-term purchase agreement for solar petrol with the cleantech company Synhelion. From 2027, the AMAG Group will source 50,000 litres of solar petrol annually to reduce the CO₂ emissions the existing fleet produces.

AMAG Group has been invested in Synhelion since 2021. Signing the purchase agreement now marks an additional milestone in the partnership between the AMAG Group and Synhelion and underlines the shared goal of advancing sustainable mobility solutions. The innovative solar petrol is produced in the RISE production plant in Spain, Synhelion’s first commercial solar fuel facility.

Solar petrol for reducing the CO₂ emissions of the existing fleet

The AMAG Group is fundamentally committed to electrifying mobility and actively supports the transition to emission-free vehicles, but is also committed to being open to new technologies. The existing vehicle stock represents a significant challenge when it comes to reducing CO₂ emissions. Synthetic fuels such as solar petrol from Synhelion may play a key role here.

Helmut Ruhl, CEO of the AMAG Group, explains: “Our goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions in all areas of our company. The partnership with Synhelion allows us to implement sustainable solutions for the existing Swiss fleet – and therefore also for all vintage cars. If the approximately two million cars in Switzerland could be refuelled with solar fuel in 2040, CO₂ emissions would fall by 10 percent. Solar fuel is an outstanding addition to our electrification efforts to make mobility in Switzerland even more sustainable.”

Progress in the production of solar fuels

Synhelion is currently successfully industrialising its unique technology for the production of synthetic fuels from solar energy. In June 2024, the company opened the first industrial demonstration plant, DAWN, which produces sustainable fuels from solar energy. With RISE, the first commercial solar fuel facility in Spain, Synhelion is planning to produce 1,000 tonnes of renewable paraffin, diesel and petrol per year from 2027. Philipp Furler, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Synhelion, adds: “The collaboration with the AMAG Group demonstrates that our technology can play a significant role in defossilisation, not only in aviation and shipping, but also in the automotive sector. We are delighted to welcome the AMAG Group, not only as an investor, but now also as a key customer for solar petrol in our global rollout.”

Scaling of solar fuels for road transport 

The purchase agreement between the AMAG Group and Synhelion lays an important cornerstone for the defossilisation of road transport. Together, both companies show how the use of innovative technologies can make the mobility of tomorrow as sustainable as possible. 
 

View the report here.

Synthetic fuels (synfuels) are a promising approach for operating vehicles with internal combustion engines in a renewable and climate-friendly way in the future. According to manufacturers’ specifications, they can be used in modern models without any reservations. But what about compatibility with vintage car engines?

“Even though there were isolated reports that a vintage car had been operated using synfuels without any problems, and vehicle manufacturers had given approval for their current model ranges, we were not aware of any well-founded studies examining the use of synfuels in vintage car engines in any detail,” explains Dino Graf, who is also responsible for the Classic division at AMAG. “It was clear to us that the majority of owners of valuable classic cars would not want to risk using fuels that have not yet been researched.”

With support from Motorex, AMAG Classic and Empa carried out a detailed and scientifically robust study on the compatibility of synthetic petrol with vintage cars. Engine components were tested for over a year,  while test drives and performance measurements were carried out with selected vintage cars. The result: even classic cars can be operated in a climate-friendly way in the future, because synthetic petrol can be used safely in older engines.

The detailed study can be found here: Link

The AMAG exhibition hall is now part of the Swiss Industrial Heritage leisure and educational association focused on the history of technology and industrial culture in Switzerland.

AMAG and EMPA

What good does it do if someone tops up their vintage car with synthetic fuel, drives up a mountain and declares that synthetic fuels are suitable for vintage cars? Not a lot – what’s needed is a scientific approach. AMAG and EMPA are currently running a long-term experiment to establish how vintage cars fare with synthetic fuels under different conditions. It includes material testing, lubricant testing, test drives in differing conditions in different vehicles, performance measurements and exhaust gas tests. The tests were completed at the end of 2023, and qualitative and quantitative analysis and evaluation will hopefully show that synthetic fuels and vintage cars do indeed go together, or at any rate will pinpoint the conditions under which they do. Through this series of tests, AMAG and EMPA are taking a step forward on the European stage – this is the first known experiment that exclusively focuses on vintage cars and synthetic fuels. 

www.empa.ch 
www.amag.ch

Combined AMAG strength at Swiss Classic World

At this year’s Swiss Classic World in Lucerne, which opens on 27 May, AMAG Classic Schinznach-Bad and the Porsche Centre Zurich, our classic partner in Schlieren, will be hosting a joint stand for the first time. It is designed to provide visitors with an overview of the AMAG Group’s classic-car expertise. Select exhibits will focus on car assembly in Schinznach-Bad, which came to an end fifty years ago. 

Over the years, Swiss Classic World Lucerne has become one of Switzerland's most important classic and vintage car shows. This year it will be staged once again at the Messe Luzern show ground from 27 to 29 May.

AMAG Automobil und Motoren AG and AMAG First AG had separate stands last year. This year is all about a combined approach. The AMAG Group will be hosting a large stand (400 m2) in Hall 2, presenting visitors with an overview of its entire range of classic vehicles. 

356. 911. And many more. The Porsche Centre Zurich will present a selection of its emotive Porsche classics, showcasing why so many Porsche models have become legends over the years. There will be a historical restoration project on show to highlight the fact that special cars need special care.

AMAG Classic Schinznach-Bad will again be bringing several exhibits from the Automontage period, including a Standard Vanguard from the early 1950s, a 1957 Chrysler Windsor rediscovered in a barn after almost 40 years, a 1970 Dodge Dart and two US scooters, also produced in Schinznach. To round off the exhibition, there will be a selection of vehicles available to purchase. 

Food and drink will also be available, and our VW beer van ensures that no one need go thirsty.

We will also be running a competition at the stand – with a little luck, visitors will be able to win a selection of attractive prizes, including weekend rental of a vintage car. 

Automontage Schinznach AG

Last century, tax regulations brought about a situation where foreign manufacturers’ vehicles were fully assembled in Switzerland. Over 70 years ago, Schinznach-Bad became one of Switzerland’s major car assembly centres. In 1947, the opportunity arose to purchase an old cement works with production halls. That same year, it was converted into what was, at the time, considered a cutting-edge assembly plant for cars. ASAG (Automontage Schinznach AG) began assembling the first Plymouth and Standard saloons in 1949. 

Over the years, the tax regulations played less and less of a role, but the manufacturing quality of an Automontage car was clearly superior to that of a fully assembled vehicle delivered directly from the US. “Montage Suisse” became a label of quality.

Towards the end of the sixties, however, the US car industry became obsessed with the idea that bigger was better when it came to displacement and performance, and the end of the fixed exchange rate between the dollar and the Swiss franc led to a depreciation of the dollar. As a result, general interest in the new, bigger Plymouth Valiants and Dodge Darts underwent a steady decline. It was no longer possible to achieve a profit from assembling vehicles. And so, just as assembly in Schinznach had begun with a Plymouth, it ended with a Plymouth 50 years ago after 29,227 units had been produced. 

AMAG Group AG takes a stake in Synhelion

The AMAG Group has a clear climate strategy and intends to become a climate-neutral company by 2025. It has established its own climate and innovation fund to support initiatives and start-ups that contribute to decarbonisation. Today, AMAG Group AG is entering into its first investment by taking a stake in the Swiss ETH spin-off Synhelion.

It is universally accepted that the future of the car is electric. Almost all major car manufacturers today are seeking to reduce CO2 emissions in their new vehicles by moving to battery-powered electric models. Many new models will be coming onto the market in the years ahead. AMAG alone is launching eight new BEVs and seven new PHEVs in conjunction with its authorised retail partners this year. Plug-in vehicles are expected to reach a market share of 50% by 2025 and over 70% by 2030.

However, that still leaves other forms of transport and a sizeable proportion of cars whose CO2 emissions could also be reduced, not to mention the nearly 200,000 classic cars on the roads, whose owners will be keen to keep driving them. 

One solution for such vehicles could be the adoption of synthetic fuels produced from CO2 using renewable power.

From solar heat to solar fuels

The Swiss start-up Synhelion – an ETH spin-off – is developing a very interesting solution: its process uses not solar electricity, but solar heat. Solar fuels are produced from the heat of the sun, which drives a thermochemical reaction. In the reactor, carbon dioxide and water are converted into syngas, which is then processed into fuels such as solar petrol or solar diesel. Sunny regions offer ideal conditions for producing solar fuels, especially deserts and semi-arid regions that receive a lot of sunshine. The solar heat captured during the day can be stored in cost-effective thermal energy storage systems, enabling fuels to be produced around the clock. This storage option makes the solar fuel facilities autonomous and independent of a grid, enabling them to be rolled out rapidly and on a large scale. Benefits of scale could bring fuel production costs down swiftly.

Solar fuels, like e-fuels, are not yet available on the market. 

Synhelion SA is based in Lugano and develops ultra-modern solar technology aimed at reducing global CO2 emissions. The company was founded in 2016 with the purpose of bringing solar fuels to the market. A first pilot facility on the roof of ETH entered into operation in 2019, and an industrial-scale plant will be built in 2022 and begin operating in 2023.

The first investment by the new AMAG climate and innovation fund

In 2021, the AMAG Group defined its course for the future and presented its climate strategy: to reduce, eliminate and, if necessary, offset. AMAG aims to become carbon-neutral in its business operations by 2025 and also has the ambition to achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2040. It has established its own climate fund to support initiatives and start-ups that contribute to decarbonisation, starting with immediate effect.

It is now making its first investment, in Synhelion. The two companies have agreed that AMAG Group AG will buy a stake in Synhelion SA. 

As AMAG CEO Helmut Ruhl notes: “Even if the majority of cars on the road in future are electric, it is important that we find climate-neutral solutions for the existing fleet too. We owe as much to our cultural heritage, the traditional car. The Swiss start-up Synhelion has found a very exciting way of producing fuels from solar energy for use in conventional combustion engines. If it is possible to scale up production, making large volumes at a reasonable price, this technology could be a solution for various different forms of transport. We are trusting in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to make our contribution to achieving Switzerland’s climate targets.”

Synhelion’s CEO and co-founder, Gianluca Ambrosetti: “With our solar fuels, we can supplant fossil fuels and play an important part in decarbonising transport. Rapidly reducing CO2 emissions from transport will require a multi-pronged approach. Our technology offers an economical, efficient and quickly scalable solution, especially for existing vehicles and in the long-distance segment. We are delighted to have AMAG at our side as a strong partner in the quest for carbon-neutral mobility.”