Mercedes is now building its new electric C-Class – here’s where

Mercedes-Benz has started building its new all-electric C-Class at its factory in Kecskemét, Hungary. This is mainly car industry news, but it's worth noting for anyone tracking the shift toward electric vehicles and how automakers are changing their manufacturing to support them.

The company spent about €1 billion expanding the plant, which more than doubled in size and now makes batteries, body parts, and other key components on-site rather than shipping them in from elsewhere. This is now Mercedes' largest EV production hub, also building the electric GLB, with the upcoming electric GLC and a smaller G-Class planned there too. The factory mixes dedicated electric-vehicle production lines with others that can switch between gas and electric models.

The site also leans on renewable energy: a new 27.4 MW solar farm plus rooftop panels give it 42.3 MW of solar capacity, covering about a quarter of the plant's yearly electricity use. A new paint shop uses about 20% less energy than before and cuts carbon emissions by roughly 80%, with added water-saving and waste-reduction efforts throughout the site.

For homeowners, none of this changes rebates, incentives, or anything you'd do to your own house. It's a sign of how car makers are scaling up EV production and pairing it with on-site solar and efficiency upgrades, similar to the kind of energy choices homeowners weigh with their own solar and electrification projects.