Mercedes-Benz Vans to Open Electric-Only Plant in Poland

Mercedes-Benz Vans has announced plans to open a new plant dedicated to producing all-electric vans based on its VAN.EA (Van Electric Architecture) platform. The manufacturing plant will be based in Jawor, Poland.

VAN.EA is the basis for all eVans from Mercedes-Benz in the medium and large segment, which will be launched on the market from 2025.

In the future, the large vans (closed model/panel van) are to be produced on the VAN.EA platform at the Polish site.

The established location enables the company's van division to optimise costs and supply chain as well as energy-efficient production of new generation vans.

The company also announced that the plans to establish a new joint venture manufacturing company together with Rivian for large all-electric vans is on hold due to Rivian’s ongoing reprioritisation of projects.

Mathias Geisen, Head of Mercedes‑Benz Vans, says: "The decision for Jawor, Poland, is another milestone on the road to electro-mobility. We are not only repositioning our products, but also future proofing the entire value chain: From procurement to production, to logistics and sales. We are therefore investing in VAN.EA, our new all-electric van architecture. Thus we will also ensure our leading position in the field of all-electric light commercial vehicles also in the future. At the same time, we are preserving the long-term prospects of the existing plants in Europe."

He adds: “As we flexibly manufacture vans with combustion and electric drivetrains in all our existing plants, we will build our first pure electric plant in Jawor. We thus set new standards and move forward on our path towards sustainable, fully electric mobility."

RJ Scaringe, Chief Executive Officer of Rivian, comments: “At this point in time, we believe focusing on our consumer business, as well as our existing commercial business, represent the most attractive near-term opportunities to maximize value for Rivian. We share the same goal as Mercedes-Benz Vans, to help the world transition to electric vehicles, and we look forward to exploring opportunities with them at a more appropriate time for Rivian.”

Mercedes-Benz Cars has been producing combustion engines in Jawor since 2019 and batteries since 2021.