Less than three years after the start of production, the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen achieves a high score: half a million E-Class sedans from the W 212 series rolled off the assembly line up to this moment. The anniversary vehicle is an E 350 4MATIC in Calcit White exterior paint finish and boasting an extensive equipment, which is bound to reach a customer from the USA. In addition to the standard safety package, the limousine also features the Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist systems on board."The E-Class is the epitome of a luxury sedan: modern, fascinating and safe. These facts are continuously confirmed by our clients and the high acceptance in the market. I am particularly pleased that our anniversary vehicle goes to a satisfied customer from the United States, "said Dr. Willi Reiss, head of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen.
Since the launch in May 2009, the E-Class of the W 212 series appealed to public in terms of comfort, safety and design. An impressive collection of major national and international awards confirm the high popularity of this model. For example, the E-Class was voted as favourite car in Germany and thus received the ADAC Yellow Angel Award, as well as the German Design Award for the styling philosophy it displays.
The E-Class has a long tradition in the portfolio of Mercedes-Benz. Since the first E-Class came out of the factory some sixty years ago, no less than eight different generations have been premiered during this period and more than ten million units have been sold to clients all around the world. This unique performance makes the E-Class the most successful business limousine of all time.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen is world's largest manufacturing plant of Daimler AG. In the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars, the Sindelfingen plant has a special role as center of excellence for luxury-class passenger cars.Credits: Daimler AGCopyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt celebrates a new milestone: the 3,000,000th vehicle, B 200 BlueEFFICIENCY of the new generation in Jupiter red paint finish, rolled off the production line this week. This special model will reach a customer from Wuppertal. Peter Wesp, head of the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant, added on this occasion: "This production milestone is a milestone in our success story. As a center of excellence for compact vehicles, we are an elementary part of the Mercedes-Benz production network."
The Rastatt plant was officially inaugurated in 1992, with the E-Class being the first model to be assembled there until 1996. From 1997 onwards, the facility was established as a production site for the new A-Class. Prior to 2004, when the second generation came into force, around 1.1 million compact Mercedes-Benz premium models were sold to clients all over the world. Moreover, the current A-Class series appealed to more than one million customers and, in addition, beginning with 2005, the B-Class was also introduced in the production portfolio of the Rastatt factory. This niche vehicle, marketed as a compact sports tourer, became instantly popular, with total sales exceeding 700,000 units. Therefore, the Rastatt plant is unanimously recognized as a competence center for the construction of compact cars from Mercedes-Benz.
The new generation of compact class models
Starting September 2011, the new B-Class (W 246) was introduced in the range. Currently, preparations are being made at Rastatt to welcome the new A-Class, which is celebrating the world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012. The new generation of Mercedes-Benz premium compact cars further includes three more sporty, emotional models, including a coupe and an SUV. The five new models will be built in a comprehensive production network comprising the Rastatt plant and the new facility in Kecskemét, Hungary. Three of the five models will be assembled at Rastatt.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt employs over 6,100 people. In 2011, a total of 177,572 vehicles rolled off the assembly line.
Credits: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Today, the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant celebrates the production of the 1,000,000th unit of the second generation A-Class (W 169). The milestone vehicle, an A 180 CDI model in metallic black paint job, will arrive at a customer in Landshut, Germany. Peter Wesp, manager of the Rastatt facility, is confident that the successful story of the current A-Class series will be continued upon the arrival of the all new W 176 generation in spring next year. At the moment, extensive work is delivered at Rastatt to prepare the assembly line for the start of production of the upcoming A-Class.
Mercedes-Benz entered the MPV segment back in 1997, with the release of the first generation A-Class. After seven years of service, it was replaced by a new model in 2004, which brought the German constructor the prize for the best premium compact car one year later. Various ingenious systems were developed specially for the A-Class through time, which helped Mercedes-Benz acquire worldwide recognition as trendsetter and innovation leader in the compact class. Moreover, the A-Class was the first automobile in its segment to receive a valid international environmental certificate. The year 2005 also marked the premiere of the all new B-Class sports tourer, which combined the proven practicality of its little brother with decent dynamic capabilities.
The new compact lineup from Mercedes-Benz will comprise, along with the recently revealed B-Class (W 246), the new A-Class hatchback and three new sports-oriented niche models including a 4-door coupe (the CLC) and a SUV (the GLC). Assembly will take place at Rastatt, where the W 246 series is already being produced, and at the new location in Kecskemét, Hungary.
Since 1992, when it was founded, the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt facility has been the prime site and competence center for the production of compact-sized models under the Three Pointed Star. Last year, a number of 238.351 finished examples rolled off the factory.
Credits: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Following last year’s production record, Mercedes-Benz is again heading toward a new all-time high. The brand expects to produce more than 1.25 million units in 2011 - representing another record result in the company’s 125-year history.
“Mercedes-Benz is going on the attack,” says Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Daimler Board of Management, Manufacturing and Procurement Mercedes-Benz Cars & Mercedes-Benz Vans. “We are securing our path to the top by extensively investing in the expansion of our high-performance production network.”
Mercedes-Benz’ production plants continue to operate at near full capacity, thanks to an ongoing positive sales trend. It is already evident that the brand will reach its target of selling more vehicles in 2011 than ever before. The high production output was also made possible through the introduction of additional shifts, which were agreed with the works council. In addition, the plants continued to operate worldwide throughout the summer months so that all customer requirements could be met, and production lines will be shut down as briefly as possible during the holidays at the turn of the year.
Expansion of the international production network
One of the key elements of the Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy is the targeted expansion of the brand’s international production network. At the same time, by investing substantial amounts in its German plants, Daimler is underscoring that Germany will remain the core of the production network.
To enable the company to fully utilize the enormous growth potential of the Chinese market, it will further expand cooperation with its partner, Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC). About 2 billion euros will be invested into the joint venture Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd (BBAC). In this context, production capacity for the C-Class and the long-wheelbase version of the E-Class will be expanded in line with market developments. The GLK compact SUV was recently added to the local production portfolio for the Chinese market. Beginning in 2013, three models of the new generation of Mercedes-Benz premium compact cars will further be added step by step. Also in 2013, a new engine plant will begin to produce four-cylinder gasoline engines. In addition, a new R&D center will be established at BBAC.
Between 2010 and 2014, Daimler will also invest a total of 2.4 billion US dollars in its U.S. plant in Tuscaloosa / Alabama. The plant has been the traditional production site of the brand’s M-, GL-, and R-Class SUVs and will also build the C-Class for the North American market beginning 2014. As of 2015, an entirely new Mercedes-Benz model will roll off the production line as its fifth product.
For the production of the new generation of Mercedes-Benz premium compact cars, Daimler invested 600 million euros in the Rastatt, Germany, plant and 800 million euros in a new plant in Kecskemét, Hungary. The Rastatt plant started production of the new B-Class in September 2011. In the first quarter of 2012, the Kecskemét plant will also start operations in a production network with Rastatt.
Due to the many production launches and the medium-term production targets, Mercedes-Benz is also investing more than 1.5 billion euros in 2011 and 2012 in order to modernize and expand the manufacturing of engines, axles, and transmissions at its main powertrain plant in Untertürkheim, Germany.
And the Mercedes-Benz plants continue to turn out top-quality products: For example, the facilities in Bremen, Germany, and East London, South Africa, received this year’s J.D. Power Gold Plant Quality Award for being the best production plants in Europe and Africa respectively.
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Marking another milestone for Mercedes-Benz in China, in early December the first locally produced Mercedes-Benz GLK compact SUV rolled off the line at the Beijing production plant of Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. (BBAC). This follows the June 2011 agreement between Daimler and Chinese Joint Venture partner BAIC to further expand their cooperation in China with various projects, including the GLK.
Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Daimler Board of Management, Manufacturing and Procurement Mercedes-Benz Cars & Mercedes-Benz Vans, explains: “The start of our local GLK production in China exemplifies our strategy of global expansion of production close to the market. We are thus supporting our sales success in our regional markets also from the production side, an important contribution to the Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy.”
Ulrich Walker, Chairman & CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia, adds: “The GLK has provedto be enormously popular with customers here in China, so it is an ideal addition to our lineup of locally-produced vehicles.” Emphasizing the importance of the Chinese market, Mr. Walker continued: “Nothing represents our long-term commitment to China more tangibly than the production of vehicles in China itself: The localized production of further Mercedes-Benz models is an important element of our growth strategy for the Chinese market. As early as 2015 we expect to locally produce two-thirds of all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars sold in China. The start of production of the GLK is another important milestone towards this goal.”
“The GLK adds to the locally-produced Long-wheel-base E-Class and new C-Class, and complements other current investments in BBAC, including the new engine plant and R&D Center. We’re also planning local production of additional Mercedes-Benz models,” explains Frank Deiss, President & CEO of Beijing Benz Automotive Co.
The Mercedes-Benz GLK has received a very warm welcome from customers worldwide since its debut in 2008. In particular in China, a growing number of customers have appreciated the brand’s compact SUV, with sales already well in excess of 20,000 units in the current year. China now represents one of the most important markets worldwide for the GLK.
Mercedes-Benz sold 168,940 vehicles overall in China (including Hong Kong) from January through November 2011, an increase of 29.9 percent compared to the same time-frame in 2010. Year-to-date sales in October 2011 already exceeded the total number of cars sold in 2010. The next few years are also certain to see further sales growth: in 2015, the company aims to sell more than 300,000 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in China.
About Daimler Northeast Asia
Daimler Northeast Asia, located in Beijing, includes Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd, Mercedes-Benz Auto Finance Ltd, Daimler Northeast Asia Parts Trading & Services Co., Ltd., the Joint Ventures Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. (BBAC), Fujian Daimler Automotive (FJDA), Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd., as well as sales organizations in Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan.
Local production of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars began in 2006 at the 50/50 joint venture BBAC with the predecessor of the current E-Class. In spring 2008, the C-Class joined local production as the second model. Since May 2010, BBAC producesthe current E-Class as a long-wheelbase version especially customized to meet the requirements of the Chinese market.
In June 2011, Daimler and its Joint Venture partner BAIC signed a strategic framework agreement to further expand their cooperation in China. The agreement includes the following projects: expansion of local passenger car production in 2011 with the GLK, with three models of the new generation of Mercedes-Benz premium compact cars planned for 2013; further expansion of production capacities for the C-Class and the E-Class Long-wheel-base version; production of 4-cylinder gasoline engines in 2013 for use in locally produced Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and vans; and a new R&D center to be established with a focus on vehicle testing and adaptation, as well as R&D activities with suppliers. With these projects, about 2 billion euros will be invested at BBAC.
In November 2011, Daimler and BAIC signed a Letter of Intent which will further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two companies. BAIC and Daimler will jointly analyze the possibilities of technological cooperation as well as cooperation in the field of research and development of new energy vehicles with the aim of further improving the competitiveness of both partners in China.
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
