Mercedes will extend production to three shifts at its Rastatt plant to meet the demand for the new Mercedes CLA, which is high even for the electric version.
Mercedes has announced that it will increase production of the new Mercedes CLA to three shifts in the second half of the year at the Rastatt plant to meet demand, according to the German magazine Automobilwoche.
Production chief Jörg Burzer stated during an event in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim that there is increasing demand, particularly for the new electric Mercedes CLA. Despite interruptions in the supply of rare earth materials from China, production is proceeding at a normal pace, and Mercedes has secured the necessary raw material reserves.
The new Mercedes CLA, built on the MMA multi-drive platform, is produced at the Rastatt plant, while the electric motors are delivered from the Stuttgart-Untertürkheim plant. There, 200 electric motors are produced daily, which should be sufficient for 50,000 electric models per year. However, electric motor production is expected to increase as other new compact-class models are launched.
At the end of the year, production of the CLA Shooting Brake will also begin in Rastatt, and new generations of the GLA and GLB SUVs, which will also feature electric powertrains, are in the pipeline.
The production capacity at Rastatt is 200,000 units per year, but Mercedes will also produce the new compact models at the Kecskemét plant.
Mercedes has invested over 1 billion euros in Kecskemét and has made numerous modifications to begin producing the new compact models on the MMA platform starting in early 2026, as well as models on the dedicated electric platform MB.EA, which will underpin the C-Class EV and GLC EV. This investment will create 3,000 new jobs.
This year, a solar park with a maximum output of 40 MW is being built in Kecskemét. The paint shop has been modernized, and a new battery plant has been built, with equipment installation beginning this month.