Daimler AG and Nissan Motor Co. teamed up to jointly produce luxury vehicles at a new $1.4 billion factory in Mexico.
The German and Japanese automakers will assemble as many as 300,000 Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti compact cars at a facility near Nissan’s plant in Aguascalientes, The Detroit News reported, citing a joint statement released by the two companies.
The first cars are due to roll off the line in 2017.
“This project shows how our collaboration, which began in Europe, has become global in scope,” Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer of Nissan and its French affiliate Renault SA, said in the statement.
Daimler and Nissan will establish a 50/50 joint venture to manage the construction and operation of the Mexican factory, which will eventually employ almost 5,700 people.
Production of Infiniti models is slated to start in 2017, with Mercedes cars to follow a year later. The companies expect to reach full capacity at the site in 2021.
Source: The Detroit News
