The new C-Class estate has been presented to the public for the first time at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, Germany. Daimler says the production plan for the model underscores Daimler’s commitment to its automotive manufacturing operations in Bremen and in Germany.
Daimler says the German plant plays a key role as a centre of competence for the global production of the highest volume Mercedes-Benz model series. The investment in the production of the new C-Class in 2014 and 2015 will amount to EUR2bn.
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Daimler says it is investing more than EUR1bn in the production plant in Bremen alone this year.
Andreas Kellermann, Head of the Mercedes-Benz production plant in Bremen, said: “After the successful production launch of the new C-Class sedan at the beginning of February, today we are celebrating the world premiere of the estate at the Bremen plant. We are proud to be the exclusive producers of the C-Class estate here at our plant. By comparison to the predecessor model, we’ve made a huge leap in terms of design, quality, and innovative technologies.”
For the new edition of the C-Class Mercedes-Benz constructed a series of completely new production halls during ongoing three-shift operation at the plant. One of the halls is for body-in-white construction.
Aluminium components make up about 50 percent of the body of the new C-Class estate. That’s a considerable increase compared to the predecessor model, Daimler says. The use of the innovative aluminium-hybrid construction method poses new challenges to joining technology, because steel and aluminium can not be welded together.
Mercedes-Benz uses something called the ImpAcT joining process. In this process, the components are quickly and effectively joined by means of injected elements. The process makes it possible to manufacture stable and lightweight profiles in body construction. The body components themselves are moulded in a servo press.
Other innovative processes include the use of self-pierce riveting. In this process, steel and aluminium sheets are joined in such a way that the rivet flares out in the bottom sheet.
Eight models are currently being produced in Bremen: in addition to the C-Class estate, the C-Class sedan and coupe, the E-Class coupe and convertible, the GLK, and the SLK and SL roadsters roll off its assembly line.
