brazilAs part of their “Mercedes-Benz 2020” growth strategy for worldwide production network, Mercedes-Benz has inaugurated a new passenger car plant in Brazil.

Located at Iracemápolis in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, the new plant was officially opened by representatives of Daimler AG at a ceremony attended by guests from politics, industry and society. The first car to roll off the assembly line was a black C-Class sedan.

The German car maker invested a total of over BRL 600 million in the new passenger-car site creating 600 jobs at the plant. Further jobs are being generated at suppliers and service providers in the region. The new plant went from concept to start of production in just 19 months. Along side the C-Class, the GLA crossover will also roll off the assembly line at the new plant. The plant is designed to roll out 20,000 units annually in its first stage.

For training the Brazilian workforce, employees were sent to other Mercedes-Benz plants where they were able to familiarise themselves with the production processes. One of the leading locations here was the sister plant in Chakan,  Pune, India which also produces the C-Class sedan.

Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “It’s a matter of immense pride for us that Mercedes-Benz India was chosen to train the Brazilian colleagues and familiarize them
with the production process, towads setting up the new assembly plant in Iracemápolis. India is a forerunner amongst Mercedes-Benz’s assembly plants globally, and in the past we have already supported the plant in Vietnam in the global network. Both the teams gained in creating trust, a
bond of friendship beyond cultures and continents, and being an ideal example demonstrating the strength of collaborative working. Our contribution in training the Brazilian colleagues also strongly underscores our prowess and rich experience in local production of luxury cars, which we have pioneered 20 years back in India.”

The new production facility in Brazil part of the company’s global assembly network which includes the production facilities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.