Hungary - Mercedes-Benz has started making the new A-Class at its plant in Kecskemét, which is located about 90km south of Budapest. It is the second facility to house production of the model, following soon after the Rastatt plant in Germany.
"With the new A-Class, we start the production of our vehicles in an unrivalled ramp-up cascade - in top quality and within a very short time line," explained Markus Schäfer, member of the divisional board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, production and supply chain. "After Rastatt, the Kecskemét plant has now also successfully managed the start of production. Our proven production strategy pays out."
In order to start making the model, the OEM invested €250m (US$297.99m) in a new body-in-white shop which stretches across an area of 99,000 sq.m. Other upgrades were also made to the facility, such as the introduction of new robots for surface treatment. In total, €580m was spent to ready the plant.
The next plant to start making the new A-Class will be in Uusikaupunki, Finland. This is operated by Valmet Automotive. It will also be made at the Beijing-Benz Automotive Company (BBAC) plant in China, and potentially in COMPAS (Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes) in Mexico.
