Mercedes-Benz has started series production of the updated EQS, facelifted S-Class, and Mercedes-Maybach S-Class at its Sindelfingen plant in Germany, with all three top-end models rolling off a single flexible assembly line at Factory 56. The triple ramp-up was completed within a three-month window. The automaker said the milestone underscores the plant’s role as its center of excellence for top-end vehicle production. Local battery and drive-unit supply from nearby Mercedes-Benz facilities supports the EQS launch.
Highlights
- Three top-end models — S-Class, Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, and electric EQS — entered series production at Factory 56 within three months
- Sindelfingen marks 111 years of operation in 2026 across a 2.9-million-square-meter site
- More than 400 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) replace traditional assembly-line conveyors across two TecLines
- High-voltage batteries for the EQS are built at the Hedelfingen battery factory; electric drive units and axles arrive from Untertürkheim, roughly 20 kilometers away
Single Line, Mixed Powertrains
Factory 56 produces all three top-end model families on the same assembly line, regardless of whether the vehicle is fully electric or hybrid. Mercedes-Benz said this flexibility allows production volumes to shift in response to market demand without retooling individual lines. The site has positioned itself as the lead plant for the brand’s Top End Luxury segment.
The plant uses more than 400 AGVs in place of conventional conveyor systems, alongside artificial intelligence applications and the Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS). All assembly stations connect to MO360, the company’s digital production ecosystem, which makes real-time production data available to every employee through a shared data platform.
“The successful ramp-up of our three updated top-end models at Factory 56 – one of the most modern assembly sites in the world – impressively illustrates what our success is based on: innovative products, exceptional teams and forward-looking production. In doing so, we’re strengthening Sindelfingen as a global centre of excellence for the production of vehicles in the top-end segment and underlining our commitment to Germany as an industrial location,” said Michael Schiebe, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality and Supply Chain Management.
Local-for-Local EV Supply Chain
The new EQS draws its core electric components from sites within a 20-kilometer radius of Sindelfingen. Battery production for the sedan takes place at the Hedelfingen section of the Untertürkheim plant, while the Mercedes-Benz production network supplies electric drive units and axles from Untertürkheim itself. AGVs deliver the components directly to the Factory 56 assembly lines as needed.
Mercedes-Benz frames this short-loop supply chain as part of a broader local-for-local strategy across its network of more than 30 plants. The company said local production of powertrain components, including traction batteries, is central to meeting global EV demand efficiently.
Sustainability and Workforce Investment
Factory 56 is positioned as carbon-neutral on an accounting basis, supported by a photovoltaic system, a direct-current grid, and stationary energy storage built from reused vehicle batteries. The plant’s “blue-sky architecture” admits natural daylight to assembly areas, reducing lighting energy use.
Workforce preparation for the ramp-up included training in AI-driven applications now embedded in production workflows. The plant also operates the on-site MANUFAKTUR Studio, where customers can specify bespoke vehicle features. The studio’s matrix production system can customize up to 20 vehicles per day across model ranges.
“2026 is a year of milestones for Mercedes-Benz and Sindelfingen: 111 years of site history and three successful series launches in a very short time. This is above all down to the efforts of our colleagues – they deserve the utmost respect for this. Together, we’re positioning Sindelfingen strongly for the future and securing good jobs beyond the region. With our ‘Sindelfingen 2020+ Vision,’ we’re setting the right course early on – Factory 56 demonstrates that cutting-edge production and good working conditions go hand in hand,” said Ergun Lümali, Chairman of the General Works Council of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Chairman of the Works Council at the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen site.
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