Mercedes-Benz begins local assembly of CKD E-Class

Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia (MDI), the local distribution arm of German car manufacturer Daimler AG, launched on Tuesday the fifth generation of its mid-size luxury sedan E-Class.

The sedan is assembled from the completely knocked-down (CKD) version in its Wanaherang plant, following an earlier move to introduce the completely built-up (CBU) version last August.

MDI president director Roelof Lamberts said the local production of the E-Class was expected to help boost sales of the model in Indonesia.

“The E-Class contributed to a quarter of our sales last year. We hope with the new generation, this contribution can be increased to a third of total sales this year,” he said during the launch ceremony.

MDI last year saw its sales rise slightly by 3 percent to 3,371 vehicles.

The pricing of the new model will be listed at the upcoming auto show in April, Lamberts added.

Currently, the CBU version of the E-Class is sold for Rp 1.3 billion (US$97,600) per vehicle.

There are two types of CKD E-Class vehicles that will be introduced into the domestic market, namely the luxury E-250 Avantgarde and the sportier E-300.