W205 Eligible for European Delivery?
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W205 Eligible for European Delivery?
Will the W205 still be eligible for European delivery for North American buyers once production for the model starts in Alabama? I know some current models aren't eligible for ED but I think it's because they are assembled exclusively in the US plant; there's no car to pick up in Europe unless Mercedes ship it there then ships it back to the USA, which would make little sense. So what happens when W205 starts production in Alabama but also continues to be assembled in Germany, will ED remain an option or will Mercedes divert all US buyers to the C-Class made in the USA? I think it would be a shame if US buyers of Mercedes' biggest volume model lost the chance to take advantage of the great experience offered by the ED program. Anyone able to shed some light on what will happen?
Last edited by ddarko; Jan 3, 2014 at 01:13 AM.
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I would depend - my guess would be it would not be available for ED. The question is if they will be doing ALL US spec cars in AL. If so, there would be no way that they would be able to do a US spec version in Germany. I've done both the AL and Sindelfingen plant tours, and the German plant is much more interesting (to say nothing about the surroundings!), but a break-in drive from AL through the South to LA wouldn't be awful.
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Considering they build the W204 in three factories for the US market I would assume that there might be some still produced in Germany as I don't think that they will be able to satisfy the demand for the C class out of one factory by itself.
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Given the CLA most likely cutting the C class off at the knees to some extent, I would be surprised if non-US production would be necessary. MB must think so as well, because I can't imagine them sourcing C classes from two continents; that would be terribly inefficent.
They've been fine with handling worldwide ML demand down there from inception.
They've been fine with handling worldwide ML demand down there from inception.
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Given the CLA most likely cutting the C class off at the knees to some extent, I would be surprised if non-US production would be necessary. MB must think so as well, because I can't imagine them sourcing C classes from two continents; that would be terribly inefficent.
They've been fine with handling worldwide ML demand down there from inception.
They've been fine with handling worldwide ML demand down there from inception.
VANCE, Alabama, January 15, 2014 -- Mercedes-Benz has raised the curtain on its new C-Class production line in Tuscaloosa County, giving a peek inside the facilities that will birth the first car for the German automaker's Alabama operations.
Today, the company hosted members of the German media and gave them and others a tour of the area where the new sedan will be built.
Among the highlights were an assembly shop that will have some 151 processes on the line, as well as a look at various C-Class models made last month during engineering trials at the plant.
Production trials start this week, and the production launch will happen later this year.
[edit]
Employees have spent time training in Germany, as well as collaborating with their colleagues at plants in Germany, South Africa and China, where the new C-Class also will be built.
Today, the company hosted members of the German media and gave them and others a tour of the area where the new sedan will be built.
Among the highlights were an assembly shop that will have some 151 processes on the line, as well as a look at various C-Class models made last month during engineering trials at the plant.
Production trials start this week, and the production launch will happen later this year.
[edit]
Employees have spent time training in Germany, as well as collaborating with their colleagues at plants in Germany, South Africa and China, where the new C-Class also will be built.
In any case, I still hold out hope W205 European delivery will remain an option for North American buyers, even if it's not the most efficient thing for Mercedes to do. Hopefully Mercedes headquarters thinks the goodwill the program creates is worth the extra effort.
Last edited by ddarko; Jan 15, 2014 at 09:22 PM.
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Sorry, meant that AL would fill US demand. Due to the differences in the US from the European version, that goodwill would have to be unrealistically high, imho, but you never know.
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If the US wants to continue relatively low W205 pricing it makes no sense to ship cars in. The US cars are a pain to build unless in large quantity because they meet different specifications & are built down to a sticker price.
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I really want to buy this car, but ED is a must for me. I hope it is available.
Considering the Alabama plant hasn't been dramatically expanded, I would be surprised if it can fulfill full US demand for this car. BMW supplies the US with 3-series cars from both Munich and South Africa. It's not uncommon to have cars coming into the same market from two different plants/continents.
Perhaps the US plant will produce all 4matic cars, and RWD versions and coupes will come from Germany?
Considering the Alabama plant hasn't been dramatically expanded, I would be surprised if it can fulfill full US demand for this car. BMW supplies the US with 3-series cars from both Munich and South Africa. It's not uncommon to have cars coming into the same market from two different plants/continents.
Perhaps the US plant will produce all 4matic cars, and RWD versions and coupes will come from Germany?
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Also, I don't believe US cars are "built down," and the sophistication of the factories nowadays makes changing specifications between each car that comes off the line a non-event.
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Interesting...isn't this a direct contradiction to an earlier thread where you stated that factory specs is factory specs regardless of where it was created?
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Actually, changing specifications for a *single* car is considered a very big deal. I had contacted MB USA a few yrs ago about getting an E-class (back when I was looking at that model) that had an options package only available outside the US. MB USA got back to simply say that it would be "very expensive" and gave no specifics. A poster (who I think works for MB Canada) commented that this was an accurate response b/c pulling a single car off the production line to add options is, in essence, a custom-built car, even if those options are already available elsewhere for that specific model.
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I think Mercedes' ultimate goal is to produce everything for the USA in the USA to hedge against currency fluctuations. But does Tuscaloosa has the capacity to supply the USA by itself? According to news reports, Mercedes sold 88,000 C-Class vehicles in the USA last year. Daimler's website says that the Alabama plant produced 180,000 vehicles in 2012. Assuming 2013 production was about the same, Tuscaloosa would have to increase its production by 50% to produce all US-spec C-Class. By way of comparison, the Bremen plant turned out almost 317,000 vehicles in 2012. I'm no auto expert but it sounds like a lot to ask Tuscaloosa to go from 180 to 270,000+ cars by the end of 2015. I think The J-Man's intuition above may be right and some W205 C-Class will continue to come from Europe after production starts in Tuscaloosa and ED might continue. Fingers crossed.
P.S. On the other hand, if Mercedes was still going to ship W205 to the USA from Europe, then why not have RWD option at launch? RWD is the standard config in Europe so they could send over RWD cars made in Bremen. Maybe the delay in RWD availability is a clue that Mercedes does intend to produce all North American C-Class in Alabama. This is all armchair speculation...
Last edited by ddarko; Jan 22, 2014 at 02:25 AM.
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e.g. A South African car for local consumption will have a brake wear sensor on every wheel. The same car built in the same factory for the US market will have one wear sensor on the LHS front wheel etc.
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I really want to buy this car, but ED is a must for me. I hope it is available.
Considering the Alabama plant hasn't been dramatically expanded, I would be surprised if it can fulfill full US demand for this car. BMW supplies the US with 3-series cars from both Munich and South Africa. It's not uncommon to have cars coming into the same market from two different plants/continents.
Perhaps the US plant will produce all 4matic cars, and RWD versions and coupes will come from Germany?
Considering the Alabama plant hasn't been dramatically expanded, I would be surprised if it can fulfill full US demand for this car. BMW supplies the US with 3-series cars from both Munich and South Africa. It's not uncommon to have cars coming into the same market from two different plants/continents.
Perhaps the US plant will produce all 4matic cars, and RWD versions and coupes will come from Germany?
It is more than likely that the Coupe will come from Germany.
I really don't think manufacturers could care less about shipping cars around the globe. The process is so streamlined, it doesn't even enter the decision making process. MB has a factory in the US not for shipping considerations, but for currency hedging.
Also, I don't believe US cars are "built down," and the sophistication of the factories nowadays makes changing specifications between each car that comes off the line a non-event.
Also, I don't believe US cars are "built down," and the sophistication of the factories nowadays makes changing specifications between each car that comes off the line a non-event.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Jan 22, 2014 at 11:46 AM.
Any word on factory (Alabama) delivery?
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So, it appears that US-spec W205 is eligible for ED according to MBUSA.com. Is this an oversight on their part? Has anyone talked to their dealerships about doing ED? If ED is indeed available, does that mean the car is built in Germany then?
