The Mercedes-Benz factory in Kecskemét will remain the cradle of the company's CLA model: following the success of the CLA Coupé introduced in 2013, the second generation of the compact car will also be made exclusively in Hungary.
"The ramp-up of the new CLA Coupé once again demonstrates the effectiveness of our international production network for the compact models of Mercedes-Benz Cars. The success story of the preceding model was already closely associated with the Kecskemét plant. We are now writing the next chapter in this story, while the plant continues to operate at the highest technological level," Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz executive in charge of production and supply chain, said at a press conference.
Made only in Kecskemét
For more than five years, the CLA has had a very special importance for our team: over 750,000 CLA and CLA Shooting Brake models of the first generation have already left our production lines in Kecskemét. We are all the more pleased that we are also producing the new CLA, as the only Mercedes-Benz plant worldwide,
Christian Wolff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Kft. said.
Since 2018, the model range of the Hungarian Mercedes-Benz plant has included the CLA and the CLA Shooting Brake as well as the A-Class. In continuing the production of the new CLA Coupé, the plant is retaining its attractive model range while strengthening its role in the production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
The new CLA Coupé and CLA Edition 1 models will be available starting from May 2019.
Innovative, digital and flexible production
Extensive preparatory measures were made at the plant for the ramp-up cascade of the compact cars and a new bodyshop equipped with numerous innovations was built. The plant has also made major progress towards the reference plant strategy with its innovative materials transport concepts. For example, wheelhouses of the new compact car generation are transported in the body shop using automatic guided vehicles (AGV) moving between the individual production stations, and at the Kecskemét plant AGVs are also used to transport entire bodyshells.
About the Kecskemét plant
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét has nearly 4,700 employees and produced more than 190,000 Mercedes-Benz compact vehicles in 2018. The first model to roll off the line in Kecskemét was the Mercedes-Benz B-Class in 2012, followed by the four-door CLA compact coupe in 2013 and by the CLA Shooting Brake in 2015. The latter two models are produced exclusively in Kecskemét for the world market. Since May 2018, the new A-Class has also been added to the product range of the Hungarian manufacturing plant.
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