Mercedes: “Pleasing” order situation for entry-level electric model

German automaker Mercedes-Benz is pleased with demand for its new entry-level electric model, the CLA. "The order intake is very encouraging," said Production Director Jörg Burzer on Monday in Stuttgart. Production of the electric drive is currently ramping up at the main plant in Untertürkheim. This has started just as smoothly as the vehicle's assembly at the Rastatt plant, Burzer explained.

The all-electric sedan is the first model on the new MMA vehicle platform, on which more electric vehicles will be launched in the coming years. The Stuttgart-based automaker has high hopes for its latest generation of electric vehicles, after sales of the previous electric models bearing the three-pointed star were not as high as expected. Mercedes' main plant and largest component factory has been gradually converting from engines and parts for combustion engines to electric mobility for around ten years.

According to Burzer, electric drive production is designed for several hundred thousand units per year. In the future, fully and partially electric drives for upper-class and luxury models will also be manufactured in Untertürkheim. An agreement was concluded with the works council to ensure greater profitability at the production site with its 13,500 employees. "Untertürkheim is and will remain the leading plant for drive technologies," said works council chairman Michael Häberle. For the time being, however, the combustion engine will still account for the majority of employment.

APA/Reuters