The Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét, Hungary will produce the next generation of compact C-class cars. By 2018, Daimler will invest €580 million in the development and expansion of the location. In addition to a new body shop, there will be new equipment, and a capacity increase. Kecskemét currently employs 4000 workers.
“Kecskemét is and will remain a cornerstone of the compact vehicle production compound. Its expansion for the next generation of compact vehicles will further strengthen this role within the international production group,” said Michael Göbel, Head of Compact Vehicle Production at Mercedes-Benz Cars, at the groundbreaking of the new body shop today.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét is part of its compact vehicle production group of cars. In addition to Kecskemét, production for the current generation of compact vehicles also includes Rastatt, Germany (as the lead plant) and BBAC in Beijing, China. Mercedes-Benz Cars also uses the Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive to produce additional A-Class cars. Thanks to the shared compact vehicle architecture, capacities can be distributed flexibly within the network at any time depending on the current level of demand in the market.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
