Mercedes eyes off major China expansion

One of the world’s most luxurious car makers is pouring more resources into it’s Chinese operations

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz is set to put more resources into its cutting-edge tech and research in China, as the country embraces the expansion of electric cars.

In a major effort to create a “home away from home”, Mercedes-Benz says it will be doubling down on bases in Beijing and Shanghai to stay ahead of regulations and consumer trends in a car market that right now outstrips the U.S and Germany, combined.

Three years after initially announcing plans to strengthen its research and development within the communist country, Mercedes is on-track to unveil its new Tech Center China in Beijing later this month.

The new tech centre:

The centre will host 1,000 engineers and is more than three times the size of the one Mercedes-Benz opened in 2014.

The new centre will also be the first outside Germany that can test “everything”.

Mercedes-Benz has also invested significantly in upgrading its Chinese design studio and has moved the whole team from Beijing to Shanghai, a megalopolis of about 25 million people known as the car design capital of China.

China’s car market continues to grow, particularly within the electric car sector, with sales up 12 percent last year despite COVID-19.