Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz B-Class And CLA Confirmed For Hungarian Plant

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the new generations of B-Class and CLA will be produced at the same Hungarian plant as the current models in Kecskemet, which will be expanded.

A reveal date has yet to be announced, but don’t expect them sooner than 2018, when Daimler will complete injecting another €580 million ($657 million) into the Kecskemet factory, out of which around €250 million ($283 million) will go into a new body shop that will be built on an area of 99,000 square meters (118,403 yards) featuring “state-of-the-art technology”.

The press shop will be subjected to expansion as well, while the production line will receive various adjustments. In the final assembly line, materials will be brought autonomously by driverless transport vehicles, in pre-picked baskets of goods, from the logistics and picking zones.

“Kecskemet 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 compound“, said the Head of Compact Vehicle Production at Mercedes-Benz Cars, Michael Gobel.

Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Kecskemet employs more than 4,000 people and, since 2015, over 180,000 compact cars have been produced at the facility. The first model to roll off the line in 2013 was the B-Class, followed by the four-door CLA, in 2014, and the CLA Shooting Brake, a year later. Both CLA models are produced exclusively in Hungary and shipped to customers around the world.