Mercedes-Benz to introduce new range of premium compact cars
23 Jun 2008
Mumbai: Luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz plans to expand its product lineup in the compact-car segment by introducing four new models. The German automaker will invest €600 million to increase capacity of its plant at Rastatt and has also decided to built a new plant in Kecskemét, Hungary, in a bid to boost its competitiveness, as well as to access new markets and create additional production capacities.
The additional facility at Kecskemétis located about 80km from the outskirts of Budapest, will be constructed at an investment of €800 million, according to the company. Mercedes-Benz will also create up to 2,500 new jobs for people in the region. Representatives of Daimler AG, the Hungarian government and the the city administration of Kecskemét plan to to sign a three-way memorandum of understanding concerning this project in the coming weeks.
Currently, Mercedes-Benz is a leading premium manufacturer of compact vehicles with its A and B-Class. The new successor range will include product characteristics such as generous interior space and an elevated seating position, that are already popular with customers today. In addition, the new vehicle variants will win additional target groups for the Mercedes-Benz brand.
The company has also worked towards the improvements in efficiency and structural design to ensure long-term profitability of the new vehicle generation. The new cars with a high level of technical integration, will benefit from the modular system used by the other Mercedes passenger-car model series. The vehicles will be powered by the new Mercedes-Benz 4-cylinder diesel engines, to be introduced later this year.
According to Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, the company is going to offer a wider range of exciting premium cars, particularly fuel-efficient compacts with high levels of comfort, safety and overall quality that are characteristic for the brand. Moreover, with the extended product range, the carmker will tap into new customer groups and open up new market regions, he added.
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