Mercedes-Benz will launch series production of a purely electric vehicle in Hungary - VIDEOREPORT
2021. 10. 22.
Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary launches the series production of its new fully electric SUV model, the "EQB". The company completed the investment in a remarkably short period of time from decision-making – in less than 1 year. EQB is the very first fully electric vehicle to be manufactured in series production in Hungary. The purely electric compact SUV model, which can be ordered as a 7-seater as well, will be exported by Mercedes from Hungary to all countries of the world, except the Chinese market. The overall value of the investment is more than EUR 100 million.
The new EQB, which will be manufactured in series production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét, will be the first purely electric vehicle manufactured in Hungary. The planned start date for production is the last quarter of 2021. The production of purely electric Mercedes-EQ models is based on the existing infrastructure. The integration of the new model into current series production is made possible by flexible and efficient processes.
The company's decision to locate the production of the purely electric compact SUV in Kecskemét is an important milestone in the life of the Hungarian factory. In the framework of the continuous transformations of the Mercedes-Benz Cars manufacturing network for the production of electric cars and digitization, a total investment of more than EUR 100 million will be made at the Kecskemét plant.
A few months ago, in July of this year, the series production of two plug-in hybrid models belonging to the Mercedes-Benz compact car family, the CLA 250 e Coupé and the CLA 250 e Shooting Brake, began in Kecskemét. Mercedes-Benz aims to make the company's entire new car fleet carbon-neutral by 2039; however, the company plans to account for more than half of total passenger car sales by 2030 with plug-in hybrid or purely electric vehicles.
The first series-produced EQB is scheduled to roll off the Kecskemét production line in the last quarter of 2021. The first prototypes of EQB are already being manufactured at the Kecskemét factory on a special, separate production line, the so-called "Pilot Line".
Following the start of production, the assembly lines of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét will manufacture all drive types from the classic internal combustion engines through the plug-in hybrids to the purely electric drive. Like other Mercedes-Benz electric models, the EQB will be produced on the same production line at the Kecskemét plant as the conventional and hybrid drive models.
