• Agreement with the Polish government to expand the European production network for electric light commercial vehicles in Jawor, Lower Silesia
• Planned investment of over EUR 1 billion will increase employment in the region

Stuttgart/Warsaw – Mercedes-Benz Vans is reorganizing its European production network for a new modular architecture for all-electric vans based on the VAN.EA platform. This is another milestone on the path of the Mercedes van division toward all-electric mobility.
With the reorganization of the European van production network, the company is securing the long-term prospects of the existing plants in Europe and extending the network with a new plant at the well-known location in Jawor in Lower Silesia, where a factory for electric motors and batteries already exists. In the future, large vans (closed models) based on the VAN.EA architecture will be produced here.

“Our ambition is to offer the most desirable vans and services around sales. To achieve this goal, we need to be highly innovative and competitive in all areas, while at the same time securing our business in the long term. A key success factor here is the reorganization of our European production network,” – says Mathias Geisen, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “The decision to choose Jawor is another milestone on the road to electromobility. Furthermore, we need to adapt not only our products, but also the entire value chain – from purchasing to production and logistics to sales – to the requirements of the future. This is why we are investing in the all-electric VAN.EA platform and thus in a transformation designed to secure our market leadership in electric cars. By doing so, we are also securing the long-term prospects of existing Mercedes plants in Europe.”

Jawor: Part of the Mercedes-Benz Vans production network in Europe

In addition to the van plants in Germany (Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde) and Spain (Vitoria), there will be a new plant in Jawor. The company plans to invest more than €1 billion between 2023 and 2027 as part of an agreed investment plan in the Walbrzych Special Economic Zone “Invest Park”. Around 2,500 people are expected to find employment here in the future. Engines have been produced in Jawor since 2019 and batteries for Mercedes-Benz electric cars since 2020.

Signing of a memorandum with the Polish government about the new Jawor factory

The Polish government and state agencies such as the Walbrzych Special Economic Zone “Invest Park”, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, as well as the city of Jawor and the municipality of Męcinka support the project and are actively involved in the development of the investment. In a joint statement (Memorandum of Understanding), the parties committed themselves to the further development of the future investment site. The existing plant in Jawor was designed from the outset to be a CO2-neutral factory and thus plays a pioneering role in Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s sustainability strategy.

The decision on the location for the production of electric vans and the construction of the factory still depend on the fulfillment of various framework conditions, including the granting of state aid.

Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Production and Supply Chain Management:

“In the global production network, we are consistently implementing the Mercedes-Benz strategy towards ‘electric only’. The plant in Jawor already plays an important role in this today – and will play an even greater role, strengthened by the production of electric vans. I am confident that the experienced and competent team in Jawor will also succeed in the production of all-electric vehicles. I am very pleased with this joint decision – by Mercedes and the Polish government – whereby there is an opportunity to create and exploit important synergies in the future.”

Fully electric vans based on the new modular VAN platform. EA

With the new architecture of the VAN. EA (Van Electric Architecture), Mercedes-Benz Vans is accelerating its transformation into an all-electric supplier of its product portfolio. VAN.EA forms the basis for all electric vans in the medium and large segment, which will be launched from 2025 onwards.