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Mercedes-Benz South Africa says the additional investment of R3 billion into its East London plant, underlined the German company's commitment to the province and the country.
Top government officials were in attendance on Thursday for the formal launch of the new production line to build the new C-Class sedans in Buffalo City from this year.
Mercedes Benz AG, in 2018, announced a R10 billion investment into the West Bank plant to prepare it for production of the new models.
CEO, Andreas Engeling, said: "Despite a tough year in 2020, we were able to accomplish what we had planned."
"To date, all of our buildings are complete and we are ready for the production of the new generation C-Class in full force. At Mercedes-Benz South Africa, our passion drives us to be the best and it is this passion, which drives our high-performance culture."
Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management, said South Africa was an important location in their global Mercedes-Benz production network.
"The team in East London made a remarkable contribution to the international ramp-up of the new C-Class that we produce through efficient, flexible, digital, and sustainable operations. With our additional investment of R3 billion in the East London plant, we underline our commitment to contributing to the South African economy and the Eastern Cape region," he said.
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, said the launch of this new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, "positions Buffalo City and the rest of Eastern Cape to continue its legacy of advanced manufacturing."
"Through the South African Automotive Masterplan, and the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP), we have created a platform for investment in the industry, deepening our technological expertise, creating local value chains, and securing jobs," Patel said.
Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, also praised MBSA's investment commitments.
"Because of that loyalty to our province, and the company's positive attitude on transformation, we now have new black-owned factories established in our province that are providing components to MBSA."
"We can mention VM Automotive in Berlin, Jendamark in Nelson Mandela Bay that are responsible for the design and manufacturing of parts for this beautiful car. This is a massive value chain investment into our economy, which is creating jobs for our local people," Mabuyane said.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa also welcomed the further investment announcement, saying the country needed some good news.
