OREANDA-NEWS. July 16, 2012. In the light of the motto "the pulse of a new generation", the first new Mercedes-Benz A-Class rolled off the production line today at the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant. The A-Class is the company's second new compact model, following the start of production of the new B-Class at Rastatt in September 2011 and at the new Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemйt, Hungary at the end of March 2012.

"This start of production marks a further milestone in our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy. The A-Class represents our offensive in the compact segment", said Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "And there is more to come: The compact SUV will be the third model we will build here in Rastatt."

Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Manufacturing & Procurement Mercedes-Benz Cars & Mercedes-Benz Vans: "We are on a roll in manufacturing as well: Hard on the heels of the new B-Class, we are now producing the totally new A-Class for our customers. Thanks to the joint architecture, we can flexibly produce all models of our new compacts on the same production line at the respective site."

Daimler is investing a total of around Ђ1.2 billion in the Rastatt plant for the production of the new compact models. In a first wave of expansion, Ђ600 million were used e.g. for the construction of a new bodyshell building and for tools, and a further Ђ600 million will follow this and next year for a second wave of expansion. These new investments are slated for modifications of the assembly and corresponding equipment installations in the bodyshell production.

Another Ђ400 million will be invested in the powertrain plants this and next year for production of components solely used in the new compact models. A total of 900 new permanent jobs have been created at Rastatt since 2010, 500 of them in 2012 alone. The plant is thus responding to the ongoing high demand, and continues to grow with the new generation of compact cars.

Since the start of sales in mid-June more than 40.000 customers have already ordered the new A-Class. More than 70.000 vehicles of the new B-Class were delivered to customers since its market launch in November 2011, "Demand for our premium compact cars is so strong that we are going to to introduce a third assembly shift in October 2012", said Peter Wesp, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant. "Our team in Rastatt is doing a fantastic job, and we are very proud of their achievements." The number of trainee positions has been increased to 70 per year.