Daimler is adding GLA production at its Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant starting in the first quarter of 2018.
This will be the first time that a compact vehicle with front wheel drive has been made at the site which until now has specialised in medium and large rear wheel drive vehicles.
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The plan is part of Daimer’s so called Innovation Factory project to make factories more flexible.
GLA has been built since 2013 at Rastatt and, since 2015, at Beijing Benz. It’s also assembled at a number of other locations, including Brazil. Rastatt, already running at full capacity, is preparing to build a new generation of compact cars and needs additional capacity – hence the move of some output to Sindelfingen.
Rastatt is the lead plant for Kecskemét (Hungary), Beijing and contract assembler Valmet in Uusikaupunki (Finland). Production of the new compact cars will begin in 2018 at the Mexican joint venture with Nissan – COMPAS (Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes).
Mercedes-Benz Cars is adopting full flex assembly so any mix can be built at any plant within a decade – rear and front wheel drive with combustion engines, hybrid and plug-in drives to full electric vehicles.
