A manufacturing plant in Mexico jointly owned by Daimler and Renault-Nissan will begin construction imminently, according to Daimler.
The facility, which will be located in Aguascalientes — about 150 northeast of Guadalajara and 300 miles northwest of Mexico City — will build “compact premium vehicles” for the automakers, which may include the Mercedes-Benz CLA/GLA and the upcoming Infiniti Q30/QX30 that share similar front-wheel drive architectures.
Nissan is expected to produce vehicles from the plant for 2017, and Mercedes vehicles will roll of the lines in 2018.
According to Daimler, the plant will have an initial capacity of 230,000 vehicles in the first year, with the ability to expand later. The plant would roughly rival the size of Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant, which produced 185,000 cars in 2013, 245,000 cars in 2014 and is expected to make 300,000 cars this year.
The plant will be Mercedes’ first compact car-making plant in the NAFTA region, located near Nissan’s A2 plant, also in Aguascalientes.
The joint manufacturing facility is the latest development in an increasingly cozy relationship between Daimler and Renault-Nissan. In addition to the compact pact, the automakers will share a similar platform for the Renault Twingo and upcoming Smart cars.
The joint plant is owned equally by Daimler and Renault-Nissan.
I hope that does not mean that the overall build quality of Infiniti and Nissan automobiles produced in that plant will get worse.
It will. You’ll just know in future you need to stick to the Japan produced models. Nothing Mercedes or car-Pathfinder based.
Cannot.. ignore…mustache of power!
He looks like a silent film villain.
Well he did tie Chrysler to train tracks and had Cerberus run it over.
He will ruin you. And you will like it.
Never trust a smiling German.
Hauntingly familiar to The Lorax from Dr Seuss…
Why would it get worse?
Cars are about to be built by Nissan/Renault in Mexico and sold with a Mercedes badge for thousands more than they’re worth and this guy is smiling? PT Barnum was a genius.
You will partner factory with us!
We will give you technology!
We will take everything you have!
We will crush you!
Your Renault vehicles make us laugh!
Oh, photo op, smile for the camera!
I want to see a photo of both of them having a glorious time exploring southern France in a yellow Avantime.
I would watch a TV show about those two travelling around Southern France in an Avantime.
La Vie en Erkundungen
Just looking at these two guys would keep me from buying either of their vehicles.
Proud Carlos has learned to count to ten and enough German to read road signs!
Because, aber natürlich, all road signs in Aguascalientes are now in die Muttersprache.
Looks like they’re getting into hot water.
Renault/Nissan and M-B are already sleeping together. The 2016 smart ForTwo is a sort of a joint venture.
As for me, I’m not yet ready to gamble on Mexican build quality yet. Sadly, this crosses the Mazda3 hatch and the Fiesta ST off my list.
I don’t know why you would not trust Mexican assembly? It is how the cars are designed that mostly affect quality. I had a 2005 PT Cruiser built in Saltillo, and it gave me ten years of good service with almost no problems. I have passed it on to my son, who is happy with it. If UAW members or rednecks from my home state of Alabama can screw cars together properly, Mexicanos can do it too. As a matter of fact, I would think that the Mexicanos would do it better. Working in an auto plant here is a prestigious job.. Unlike in the US, where manufacturing jobs are looked down on.
It isn’t just about design of the vehicle and parts thereof, but also design of the assembly workflow and quality standards and training, etc. There is a lot more to manufacturing a quality product than a good design. As long as the manufacturer is holding the products from the Mexican plant to the same standards as their other plants, then there is no reason to judge the product just because it’s screwed together south of the border. If the manufacturer does a poor job at managing the plant or at quality control, then it’s an issue with the company, not the locale where final assembly takes place.
“It is how the cars are designed that mostly affect quality.”
DSM.
“which may include the Mercedes-Benz CLA/GLA and the upcoming Infiniti Q30/QX30 that share similar front-wheel drive architectures.”
Similar? They’re the same matey. Only the sheet-metal and interior are different. “May include”? What else are they going to make? Infiniti already make Q50’s with the Mercedes 2.0t engine and flog them outside North America to a chorus of no enthusiasm whatsoever from the press.
This all reads a little too DSM for my tastes. It’s easier getting into Hot Waters than getting out.
If you’re in enough trouble to “partner” with Daimler… they’ll give you the business. Sad that Nissan/Renault are so desperate that they are willing to ignore what has hapoened to others in the same situation.