In a bid to go fully electric by the end of the decade, Mercedes-Benz and employee representatives have agreed on the significant expansion of production capacities at the Stuttgart-Untertürkheim plant for electric drive units.
Under the new plan, the previously planned capacities will be doubled in the course of the new agreement from 2024. In the target scenario, one million electric drive units can be produced, for example, for vehicles on the MMA (Mercedes Modular Architecture) platform.
A press release from Mercedes-Benz noted that construction of the new assembly lines on the site of the Untertürkheim plant, as well as the Bad Cannstatt plant, will begin next year.
In the future, Untertürkheim and the Hedelfingen and Mettingen annexes will manufacture and supply parts of the electric drive unit. The basis for these sustainable jobs is a comprehensive training and retraining programme for the employees at the location, the company noted.
Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management, said, “Untertürkheim will continue to drive Mercedes-Benz in the truest sense of the word, also in the electric era. With production volumes for our new Mercedes-EQ models, we are making our traditional location in the Neckar Valley fit for the future and continuing its success story. One million electric drive units: We are reinforcing Stuttgart-Untertürkheim’s importance within our global powertrain production network and thus also the role of our highly competent colleagues.”
Frank Deiß, Chairman- Drive Systems, Head of Production Powertrain and Plant Manager- Untertürkheim, Mercedes-Benz, noted that with efficient drive units and batteries, the company is making the Untertürkheim plant fit for the future. In future, Mercedes-Benz will be able to supply e-drives for one million Mercedes-EQ vehicles to the vehicle plants, he added.
“The ramp-up will begin in 2024. With our highly flexible and committed teams here at the location, we are continuing to write the success story of the Untertürkheim plant together,” Deiß said.
Interestingly, the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim plant is the largest location in the company’s global powertrain production network and has several plant annexes in the Neckar valley.
Michael Häberle, Chairman of the Works Council- Untertürkheim, Deputy Chairman of the General Works Council, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said, “With our battery factories, eCampus and electric drive units and axles, we have laid the foundation for our location not only to participate in the transformation of the company, but to be an essential part of it.”
Notably, the electric drive unit for the new models is being developed in-house at Mercedes-Benz.
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