There is a historic milestone to celebrate at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth: Although production began there as early as October 1963 with around 100 employees. Initially, truck driver cabs were produced and then delivered for further assembly to the Gaggenau (heavy trucks) or Mannheim (medium and light trucks) plants.
However, from 1965 onwards, Wörth was ultimately focused on commercial vehicle production at Mercedes-Benz, according to the manufacturer. In the central assembly plant, the first complete vehicles were assembled and delivered, marking a 60-year
anniversary this year.
The locations in Gaggenau and Kassel specialized in the construction of transmissions and axles for trucks, Mannheim in engines and the production of buses.
New Commercial Vehicle Strategy in the 1960s
According to the company, at the beginning of the 1960s, the then Daimler-Benz AG reoriented its commercial vehicle strategy and reorganized production: The plant in Wörth was intended to serve not as an engine supplier as originally planned but for mass production of all truck classes.
Thus, the entire production
and final assembly should take place there. This was accompanied by the division of the company's truck production into component manufacturing and assembly.
Various series are said to have rolled off an assembly line from the start of production - from the "light Wörther" to the "heavy Wörther."
According to reports, more than 4.4 million trucks have been manufactured in Wörth since production started 60 years ago - of which more than 800,000 are so-called Completely Knocked Down, i.e., vehicle kits that are shipped
to some overseas markets for local final assembly.
Currently, the models Actros, Arocs, and Atego are being produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. The Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks Econic, Unimog, and Zetros are also built there.
In 2021, series production of the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 300/400 for distribution transport began, followed a year later by the second electric series truck, the Mercedes-Benz eEconic, for municipal use. At the end of 2024, Daimler Truck then started series production for the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 for long-haul
