German car group Mercedes-Benz on last Wednesday presented a plan worth more than one billion euros to adapt its global production capabilities to the manufacture of electric propulsion systems, including the assembly of batteries, motors and electric axles, starting in 2024, reports Reuters. In Sebes, they will build electric motors for the vehicles that will be built on the future MMA and MB.EA platforms. Thus, the Mercedes factories in Kamenz and Untertuerkheim, Germany, as well as the one in Beijing, China, which already produce batteries for electric and hybrid models, will produce the batteries for models built on the future MMA and MB.EA platforms, while a another factory dedicated to the production of batteries in Koelleda, Germany, awaits the support of the regional government. Also, the Mercedes plants in Untertuerkheim, Beijing and Sebes will build electric motors for vehicles that will be built on the future MMA and MB.EA platforms, while the Mercedes plants in Hamburg and Untertuerkheim will remain the main units responsible for the assembly of decks and electrical components. “There is no plant that is not included” in this plan,” said Mercedes-Benz production director Joerg Burzer. The management team and employee representatives will reach an agreement, by June, regarding the transition of the European plants to the production of electric vehicles, so that the plant in Sindelfingen (Germany) will become the headquarters for the production of high-end vehicles based on AMG.EA platform, while the plants in Bremen (Germany) and Kecskemet (Hungary) will be responsible for the main luxury models and the plants in Rastatt (Germany) and Kecskemet for entry-level vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz Group has set up its assembly plants so that they can produce both combustion engine and electric vehicles on the same production lines, but assembling batteries and engines on the same line is a bit more complicated, he said. Joerg Burzer. However, many of the component plants will continue to make parts for the combustion engine cars as long as there is demand, as the German luxury carmaker aims to transition to exclusively selling electric cars at the end of this decade “when the market conditions will allow it”. The “Star Assembly” production unit in Sebes (Alba county) is an important component of the production network for the undercarriage of vehicles produced by the German Mercedes-Benz concern.
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan stated during an interview on Wednesday, December 17, that there should be no statute of limitations in cases of serious corruption. The statement comes after a Recorder investigation, which showed that several heads of the major institutions in the Romanian justice system allegedly delayed trials for years until wrongdoings were […]
President Nicușor Dan has challenged, before the Constitutional Court (CCR), the constitutionality of the law that requires that at least 40% of the athletes who play on a team in official national competitions be Romanian. Dan noted that the law violates the principle of non-discrimination and the free movement of workers, enshrined both in the […]
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
