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Speaking at the launch, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said the launch spelled “great success” for Kecskemét and Hungary.
In a statement issued by his ministry, he noted that the base in Kecskemét would soon be able to turn out 350,000 vehicles annually, bringing Hungary closer to its goal of producing 1 million cars a year. He added that Mercedes had also brought R&D activities to the base.
Mercedes employs around 4,500 people in Hungary.
Szijjártó said Hungary had become a “bastion in Europe” of the electric vehicle industry. He added that 452 automotive industry investments, with a combined value of HUF 6.8 trillion, had been undertaken in Hungary over the past 11 years.
Szijjártó said Hungary’s low taxes, economic and physical security, and its pool of skilled labor had brought investors to the country. He added that Hungary was one of just three countries in the world where all three premium German carmakers had manufacturing bases.
Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary managing director Jens Bühler said the company’s plant in Kecskemét had turned out more than 2 million vehicles since 2012.
He said the new GLB would be the second fully electric vehicle produced at the base after the EQB. He added that production of a hybrid GLB would start in Kecskemét in March.
Mercedes-Benz AG board member Michael Schiebe said around EUR 1 bln had been plowed into the base in Kecskemét since 2022. He added that part of that investment had aimed to make existing production lines more flexible, while boosting automation.
Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary had revenue of EUR 4.171 bln in 2024, when it produced more than 146,000 vehicles.
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