The Mercedes-Benz plant at Untertürkheim, Germany, the home of Daimler headquarters, will make a transition from producing legacy engines, transmissions and axles to producing powertrain components for EVs. This will include new battery production, and the assembly of electric modules for front and rear axles.
The Untertürkheim plant, which was built in 1904 and currently has 19,000 employees, will become the fourth battery production factory in Mercedes’ global network, along with two in Germany and one in Beijing.
In the future, the Untertürkheim plant will supply batteries for vehicles in the EQ sub-brand that will be assembled at the passenger car plant in Sindelfingen.
Mercedes-Benz expects pure EVs to account for between 15 and 25 percent of its total sales by 2025.
“In the coming years, we plan to produce a rising number of powertrains for conventional and hybrid vehicles,” said Mercedes Divisional Board Member Markus Schäfer. “At the same time, we are creating competitive conditions in our plants with regard to electric mobility. With this further development, Untertürkheim will continue to be the lead plant in the global powertrain production network.”
Source: Green Car Congress