Where are Mercedes Benz C300 Made? (Solved & Explained)

The Mercedes C300 is a small luxury car available in sedan, coupe, and convertible models.

It offers an upscale driving experience with a first rate interior and a powerful selection of engines.

If you’re researching the C300 you might be wondering where they are manufactured.

We’ll cover that in this article, read on to find out…

Where Are Mercedes C300 Being Made?

The Mercedes Benz C300 is made at three different locations; the Mercedes Benz Bremen Plant in Germany, the Mercedes Benz East London Plant in South Africa and Beijing Benz (officially Beijing Benz Automotive) in China.

As this is one of the most popular models sold by Mercedes-Benz, they are dedicating a lot of resources toward building these cars to keep up with demand.

Bremen Plant (Germany) facts:

  • Produces around 160 vehicles per day.
  • Is the lead plant for the C-Class
  • Produces the most variants within the Mercedes-Benz Cars production network.
  • Is located in the north of Germany close to the port of Bremerhaven
  • Was built in 1938
  • Currently employs 12,500 staff

East London Plant (South Africa) facts:

  • Is situated on the eastern coast of the country, close to a nearby port
  • Was built in 1948
  • Has over 3,300 employees
  • Produces both left and right hand drive C300
  • Delivers to 80 markets all over the world

Beijing Benz Automotive Co. (China) facts

  • Was established in 2005
  • Is a joint venture founded by Daimler AG, Daimler Greater China Ltd. and BAIC Motor
  • The plant is located in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area
  • Has been producing the C-class Mercedes ever since 2016.
  • Predominantly serves the Asian market, China has been the largest sales market for the C-Class sedan since 2016

You may also be interested in our article: how long do Mercedes C300 last?

Are Mercedes C300s for the US Market Produced in the US?

Our research indicates that the Mercedes C300 for the US market is built at the Mercedes Benz East London Plant in South Africa. From here it is shipped directly to the United States. The C300 is no longer being produced at the Mercedes Benz Plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The US Mercedes Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is situated near Vance, and can be found 34 miles west of Birmingham.

The C300 was previously built at this factory for the US market for six years, however production ceased in late 2020.

The Tuscaloosa plant is shifting its focus to SUV and crossover models as well as the EQ brand, which have proven to be the most popular Mercedes models in the US.

Where Are They Assembled?

The Mercedes-Benz C300 is assembled in the plant in which it has been built. Mercedes then exports the vehicle fully assembled and ready to drive at its destination.

The assembly of the vehicle represents the final phase in the process of manufacturing.

All the parts and components that have been manufactured in the factory are put together to create the final product, a ready-to-drive Mercedes-Benz C300.

How Can You Check Where a Specific C300 Was Made?

You can check the exact location of where your Mercedes-Benz C300 was built by using the VIN number.

The VIN number of your C300 can be found in four different locations.

  • Driver’s side dashboard
  • Driver’s side door jamb
  • Engine block
  • Vehicle registration and insurance papers

You can see the VIN number plate more clearly by looking from the outside through the windshield.

Once you have found the VIN number you can use an online VIN decoder, which will give you all the information regarding your C300.

You can also decode your VIN manually.

The first letter or number of the VIN will tell you the country of origin.

For example, if the first digit is W, this means your car was made in Germany.

The 11th digit indicates where your vehicle was assembled.

For example, if the digit is an F, then the car was built at the Bremen Plant.

Are German-built Mercedes C300s Better than South African or Chinese-built Mercedes C300s?

While Mercedes-Benz does produce the C300 models in different locations across the world, they will always ensure that their high standards remain constant across all factories.

Mercedes-Benz are well-known for building luxury cars of the highest quality.

As such, they aim to keep the quality of their production the same across all their facilities.

Please also see our article: Mercedes C300 in snow and winter driving

Where Is the Mercedes C300 Designed?

It’s unclear as to where exactly the C300 was designed. However, it can be speculated that it was at the Mercedes-Benz design center in Sindelfingen in Germany.

Our research leads us to believe the design of the C300 was heavily influenced by three Mercedes employees:

  • Design Manager, Robert Lešnik of Slovenia
  • Designer Volker Leutz
  • Interior Designer Michele Jauch-Paganetti

Where Is the Mercedes C300 Made for the Australian Market?

Mercedes-Benz C300 models are imported from the South African factory in East London. The exception is the wagon variants which are brought in from the Bremen plant.

The East London plant is located near a port which makes exports from it much easier.

This plant, however, only produces the sedan variant of the C300, and as such, the wagon variant is imported from the Bremen plant in Germany.

Where Is the Mercedes C300 Made for the Canadian Market?

The Canadian bound C300 models are built in East London, South Africa.

The South African plant produces the C class models for North American markets and exports them fully assembled and ready to drive.

Where Is the Mercedes C300 Made for the UK Market?

The Mercedes-Benz C300 for the UK market is made at the Bremen Plant in Germany.

According to Mercedes the Bremen Plant is the ‘lead plant’ for the C-Class.

Is Mercedes Planning to Move Its Production?

Mercedes-Benz is continually expanding. However, with 56 different factories across the globe, the German automotive giants are focusing on improving their current factories.

Mercedes-Benz are aiming to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their existing plants.

Mercedes have a $600 million investment planned for the South African factory in East London which will see it receive significant expansions and upgrades.

Is Mercedes Hiring or Firing in the US?

According to career sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed, Mercedes-Benz are hiring in the US.

However, there are not currently a significant number of jobs available as the Tuscaloosa plant which currently employs approximately 4200 people.

Is Mercedes an American Company?

Founded in 1926, Mercedes-Benz is a German company with headquarters in Stuttgart.

The CEO is Dieter Zetsche who has held this position since 2006.

Mercedes-Benz has always had a keen interest in the north American markets, and they have a subsidiary named Merced-Benz USA, with headquarters in Atlanta.

In 1998, Daimler-AG and Chrysler signer a merger to form DaimlerChrysler AG.

Related: 7 Most Common Mercedes-Benz C-Class Problems (Explained)

Resources

https://www.caranddriver.com/mercedes-benz/c-class

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/05/13/mercedes-benz-c-class-production-alabama-us/

Bremen, Mercedes-Benz Plant | Daimler

https://enginepatrol.com/how-long-mercedes-e350-last/

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/design/team-and-studios/the-mercedes-benz-advanced-design-centre-sindelfingen/

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/where-are-australias-most-popular-cars-built

https://www.daimler.com/career/about-us/locations/location-detail-page-5095.html

https://www.al.com/business/2020/07/mercedes-benz-will-no-longer-make-c-class-sedan-at-vance-plant.html

Author:

  • Ian Sawyer

    Growing up with a father who was a mechanic I had an appreciation for cars and motorcycles from an early age. I shared my first bike with my brother that had little more than a 40cc engine but it opened up a world of excitement for me, I was hooked. As I grew older I progressed onto bigger bikes and...