THE MERCEDES-BENZ FACTORY IN KECSKEMÉT HAS REACHED ANOTHER MILESTONE: THE FIRST HYBRID CAR HAS ROLLED OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE

Mercedes-Benz is constantly expanding its EQ Power model range with Plug-in Hybrid drive. The production of two hybrid models of the company's compact car family, the CLA 250 e Coupé and the CLA 250 e Shooting Brake, will take place also exclusively in Kecskemét. The first car is awaited by a Hungarian owner. The Mojave silver metallic CLA 250 e Coupé was driven off the production line in Kecskemét by dr. László Palkovics Minister for Innovation and Technology.

Series production of new models began three times in the previous year at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét: the new CLA Coupé was followed first by the new CLA Shooting Brake and then in the autumn by the Mercedes-AMG Performance versions. Despite the pandemic, the production is going successful this year, too. Production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét has started gradually since 28 April. The flexible ramp-up of production allows the adaption to the current situation, while keeping the health of employees and partners is still of upmost importance for the company.

Each new production start requires complex preparations, however, in the case of the CLA 250 e Coupé and CLA 250 e Shooting Brake, this was especially true, as this time it is a series production of hybrid models, manufactured for the first time in Kecskemét. Production staff were trained for months on the special work procedures applied in the case of hybrid models and more than 2,000 employees took part in special work safety education before the production began. Another novelty, for example, is that inside the hall, in all of the areas where employees actually work on the cars, cars are operated exclusively in electric drive mode.

The readiness and flexibility of the Kecskemét team is shown by the fact that during the preparation of both the technical and occupational safety conditions for the introduction of the new hybrid models, production continued to run normally. For the first time in the history of the plant, more than a year before the start of the series production, the first prototypes could be built in Kecskemét, in a hall designed for this purpose, which is a great step forward in the process development activities of the factory.