Mercedes-Benz starts production of the GLA in Brazil

Five months after the official plant opening in Brazil, Mercedes-Benz has started the production of a second model at its new passenger-car plant in Iracemápolis. The compact SUV GLA will be flexibly assembled on the same line as the C-Class Sedan. Both models are bestsellers in the Brazilian premium market.

“By expanding the local production in Brazil we are consistently strengthening our global competitiveness,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. “With the launch of the GLA in Iracemápolis, we are setting new standards in terms of flexibility and efficiency. For the first time, vehicles with front and rear-wheel drive are rolling off the same assembly line in one of our plants. This makes Iracemápolis benchmark within the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars.” The highly flexible production is enabled through a low degree of automation in the assembly.

As a qualification measure for the production of the GLA, Brazilian employees were sent to the sister plants in Pune, India, and in Kecskemét, Hungary. On-site, they could get familiar with the production processes in order to pass-on their knowledge to their colleagues in Ircaemápolis as multipliers. The company thereby ensures that all vehicles meet the high quality standards of Mercedes-Benz wherever they are produced.

“Our employees are highly motivated,” states Christ Wittke, plant manager Mercedes-Benz Iracemápolis plant. “With the support of the production network, we were optimally prepared for the launch of the GLA. The team did a great job managing the production start of two models within just a few months.”

About the Mercedes-Benz Iracemápolis plant

The Mercedes-Benz Iracemápolis plant is located in the São Paulo region and was opened in March 2016. It is part of the global assembly network of Mercedes-Benz. This network also includes the production facilities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. At these locations, Mercedes-Benz produces vehicles in various extension levels for local markets. The C-Class Sedan and the GLA are rolling off the assembly lines in Iracemápolis.