Mercedes-Benz has built the first CLA Shooting Brake at its Kecskemét plant in Hungary, marking the production debut of the third model there after the CLA and B-Class.
The CLA Shooting Brake is also the second model series to be produced exclusively in Hungary after the CLA four-door coupe. The plant built around 150,000 B-Class and CLA-Class vehicles last year, with total production reaching 300,000 units since the facility started operating in 2012.
Mercedes-Benz has so far invested around €1 billion ($1.15 billion) in the Kecskemét plant, which employs almost 4,000 people. The Hungarian plant makes an important contribution to the growth of Mercedes’ compact car segment within the company’s global production network.
Sales of the brand’s compact car family increased by 24.7 percent in 2015 to 463,152 A-Class, B-Class, CLA-Class and GLA-Class vehicles. That is an absolute record for deliveries of Mercedes-Benz compact vehicles in a single year. The CLA has been very successful in its single most important market, the USA, where sales almost doubled to 27,000 vehicles in 2014.
“The entire team of the plant is especially proud for the opportunity to produce the CLA and now the CLA Shooting Brake exclusively for customers around the world. We are aware of the responsibility that comes with it and will build on our achievements to date with consistent top performance,” said plant manager Thomas Geier.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake can be ordered since January 15, with the first units scheduled to arrive in European dealerships in March. The estate will be priced around €600 ($695) higher than corresponding sedan variants.
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