Mercedes-Benz has started production at its new passenger-car plant in Brazil, thereby extending its worldwide production network. The first vehicle to roll off the production line was a black C-Class Saloon.
Mercedes-Benz invests a total of over BRL 600 million in the new passenger-car site creating 600 jobs at the new Iracemápolis plant in Sao Paulo metropolitan area. Besides the C-Class, the GLA compact SUV will also be rolling off the production line beginning June this year. In the first stage, the plant is designed for an annual capacity of 20,000 vehicles.
The new plant in Brazil is part of Mercedes-Benz’s global assembly network. This network also includes the production facilities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. At these locations, Mercedes-Benz produces various vehicles for local markets.
“The global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars comprises 26 locations which are organized in production compounds according to the vehicle architecture. With the local production, we are strengthening our global competitiveness and will be closer to our Brazilian customers and their needs for passenger cars of the premium brand Mercedes-Benz,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management.