C-Class build

[Darrell]

I just saw on Euronews that from 2014 all c-class production will move from Germany to Alabama down in the good old US of A.

Is this good or is this bad?

 

[Gridlock]

 

[Darrell]

Thats what I was thinking!

 

[whitenemesis]

Very bad news. Look what the Americans did to the ML.....

 

[Mr E]

Wrong news - the plan is to produce C-classes for the US market in Alabama. Ticks the boxes for a downsizing motorist looking for a prestigious brand built in the USA.

 

[grober]

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/79268-mercedes-c-class-made-u-s.html

 

[renault12ts]

Speechless??

 

[Darrell]

Interesting difference of opinions here. What or who is right?

 

[grober]

Almost certainly be LHD models only for the North American Market.

" Vorsprung durch Technik Ya'll " as they might say in Tuscaloosa.

 

[vincenz]

I don't think it matters where the cars are built, it matters that the correct quality controls are in place.
The stigmatism that the only place to build a reliable car is Germany / Japan is just marketing.

 

[grober]

I don't think it matters where the cars are built, it matters that the correct quality controls are in place.
The stigmatism that the only place to build a reliable car is Germany / Japan is just marketing.

Agreed---in principle. Except that many components used on a production line are sourced locally and this can have an effect on longevity and reliability. Sure there are quality controls in place---like the quality controls on the blue efficiency injectors??? No inspection can be full proof and I'm sure the injectors in question passed with flying colours straight off the production line.
The other thing that counts is the record of the actual quality of the vehicles produced in a particular plant. The first ML's produced in the Tuscaloosa plant were widely held to have quality problems [ dodgy chassis welds and interior trim that fell apart were two] and the C class will be a "new model" to that plant.
What I dislike is the lack of transparency in Mercedes literature which makes huge play of Mercedes German engineering heritage but neglects to mention the cars are manufactured elsewhere.

 

[Rory]

I just saw on Euronews that from 2014 all c-class production will move from Germany to Alabama down in the good old US of A.

Is this good or is this bad?

As other have said, it's for the US market only, and the plan is to start pretty soon.

Where does 2014 come from? I doubt MB have much idea about anything that far away.

 

[Mr E]

Where does 2014 come from? I doubt MB have much idea about anything that far away.

You'd be surprised - most OEMs are at least one model ahead in the cycle.

 

[Rory]

You'd be surprised - most OEMs are at least one model ahead in the cycle.

I would. I used to work for a car manufacturer. In 2009 they won't be deciding which plants will be used for making which models in 2014.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

I would. I used to work for a car manufacturer. In 2009 they won't be deciding which plants will be used for making which models in 2014.

Who did you work for, Rover?

Of course they would (a company the size of MB) this early on if they can potental save 100's millions in the future its only 4 years away after all.

 

[Rory]

Who did you work for, Rover?

Of course they would (a company the size of MB) this early on if they can potental save 100's millions in the future its only 4 years away after all.

I worked in manufacturing engineering for Ford Motor Company.

Of course there will be plans and roadmaps, but the OP's suggestion that "from 2014 all c-class production will move from Germany to Alabama" as if MB have firmly decided that, is wide of the mark.

 

[wemorgan]

I used to receive a spreadsheet from JD Power each 1/4 showing predicted car manufacturing volumes of all marques and plants over the next 6 or so years. It was telling to look back at some of the bold statements OEM were making. It's a shame I don't have it anymore as looking at 2009 sales predicted in 2005 would make for somber reading.

 

[Mr E]

Your quote was:

I doubt MB have much idea about anything that far away.

Now we already know that the report quoted by the OP is incorrect - all C-Class production is not being shifted to the US. The date is also debatable - I've personally heard 2012 from people in MB.

All OEMs will have long term plans and business plans to support those. Integrating new models into a plant takes time (albeit not four years) so a 2 year lead time does not surprise, especially if there is a facelift in the cycle to accomodate too (not that I know any specifics on that).

Large manufacturers make long term plans all the time - it's how they react to those changes occuring in the market, change the plans and move the company into a new direction that counts. And that is where the big US companies haved failed dramatically. My time consulting at Ford was plagued by a management structure incapable of making a decision, and a culture within management that valued the amount of time the jacket hung on the back of the chair and the saving of a single cent in support a dealer rather than speaking up about decisions from above that you could see were wrong. Same with GM. When your sucked into the quarter-by-quarter survival of the company (as these have been for years) thenit's hard to break the cycle. At least the europeans (in the main) had structures agile enough to cope with change (which was even true with FoE and GM-E).

 

[Darrell]

All I was doing was passing on what I heard on the tv.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

European automakers have been losing a great deal of potential revenue in the US market for almost a decade now due to the poor euro-dollar exchange rate. It is not surprising that some of them are considering moving more production to North America.

Now, Daimler has announced that it will be shifting about a fifth of its C-Class production to its plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama by 2014. That plant currently produces the R, M and GL classes.

"From a strategic and economic point of view, this step is absolutely necessary for Mercedes-Benz to remain competitive in the future and utilize its chances for growth," said Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche in a press release.

German production of the C-Class is also being moved entirely to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen in the northern part of the country. The Sindelfingen plant, which currently has about a third of C-Class production, will get assembly of the SL-Class from Bremen as compensation while Mercedes-Benz will also be focusing production of vehicles with alternative powertrain systems at the plant.

It's obvious that Daimler doesn't believe the dollar is going to rise substantially against the euro any time soon. But investing in North American production is not cheap either. VW is currently building a new plant in Tennessee - an investment of billions. With US policies being what they are, though - both large budget and trade deficits that fuel a weakening of the dollar - European automakers really don't have much of a choice