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DaimlerChrysler opens Sprinter assembly plant in
Charleston, USA
Sprinter for the American market under Dodge
and Freightliner brands
The DaimlerChrysler plant in Ladson just
outside Charleston in South Carolina today officially kicks off
production of the Sprinter for the American market under the Dodge and
Freightliner brands.
The Sprinter has been assembled and offered for
sale in the USA since 2001 and has captured a firm clientele not least
of all thanks to the proximity to the market. The former plant in
Gaffney, annual capacity around 22,000 units, no longer could cope with
the growing sales.
A production capacity of 32,000 units now is
available at the new plant on the US east coast where 180 employees are
working to reassemble the Sprinter on a 42,780 square meter (460,000 sq.
ft.) site. $ 35 million, the equivalent of 27 million euros, were
invested in the plant.
“The Dodge Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter
set standards in their sector for safety, variability and environmental
protection. We are proud to be able to offer our latest product in the
van segment also on the American market so soon after its presentation.
I thank all colleagues who made the opening of this plant possible today
through their personal effort and commitment,” said Wilfried Porth, head
of the Mercedes-Benz Vans Business Unit of DaimlerChrysler AG on the
occasion of the inauguration ceremony, attended by South Carolina
Governor Mark Sanford. |
