120 Year Anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Unterturkeim Plant

 

Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim site: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft around 1908

Back in 1904: The month of May, Mercedes-Benz company history records the relocation of the administration of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft from Cannstatt to the new plant in Untertürkheim. It is the birth of one of the oldest Mercedes-Benz locations worldwide, which is celebrating its 120^th anniversary this year. The plant increasingly focused on the production of engines and components and was also a central location for development and testing after initially producing engines, transmissions and axles as well as complete vehicles. 

Research and development of drive technologies are a key element at the location. The newly opened Mercedes-Benz eCampus, a competence center for the development of cells and batteries for future electric vehicles of the brand with the star, marks an important milestone for the 120-year-old location in the transformation to electromobility. Investments in the three-digit million-euro range will strengthen Untertürkheim’s role as a high-tech facility for drive technologies – a clear commitment to the workforce and to Baden-Württemberg as a centre of automotive competence.

“The Stuttgart-Untertürkheim site and its great team stand for the success story of Mercedes-Benz. With new, sustainable high-tech products, the plant is ready to continue this story. Untertürkheim will also drive Mercedes-Benz in the truest sense of the word in the electric age, thus reinforcing its role in the global powertrain production network. Congratulations to all colleagues on this special anniversary."
Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality & Supply Chain Management

"For 120 years, our employees have been shaping the innovative strength and progress of this location with their expertise, experience and passion. The anniversary and all the associated milestones and products illustrate the location's ability to continuously develop. Together we are shaping the future of mobility."
Thomas Schulz, Chairman Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems, Head of Production Powertrain Mercedes-Benz Cars and Plant Manager, Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim

“This anniversary not only marks 120 years of outstanding engineering and innovation, but also the tireless dedication and passion of our employees. On behalf of the Works Council, I would like to thank our colleagues and congratulate all of us on this success.”
Michael Häberle, Chairman of the Work Council at the Mercedes-Benz site in Untertürkheim and Deputy Chairman of the General Works Council of Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Today employees are celebrating the 120^th anniversary of the Untertürkheim plant with their families and friends as part of an employee event with a colorful entertainment program on the plant area. Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and other members of the Board of Management, including Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality & Supply Chain Management, will also attend this anniversary together with the employees. Tradition and innovation are the focus of the many open production and development areas as well as exhibition areas that employees have prepared for their colleagues and offer guests insights into the history, present and future of the plant. The end of the day will be an impressive laser show.

Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart-Untertürkheim today and tomorrow

The Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart-Untertürkheim plant spans several sub-sites in the Neckar valley and set the course for e-mobility some time ago. The plant already produces flexible drive systems for both fully electric and electrified vehicles. Untertürkheim is responsible for the production of drive components. The forge is also located there. Furthermore, the Untertürkheim site is home to a large part of the Group’s drivetrain research and development, with a test track for vehicle testing as well as the new Mercedes-Benz eCampus. The central van division and its research and development is also located here. And Untertürkheim is home to the Mercedes-Benz Group AG headquarters. In total, more than 23,000 employees work there, including sub-sites – around 14,100 of them in production. From 2024, the ramp-up of production of electric drive units for fully electric Mercedes-Benz vehicles will begin at Untertürkheim. Highly efficient engines are produced in Bad Cannstatt. Axle production for all drivetrains and the foundry are both located in Mettingen. Parts for electric drive units will be manufactured and assembled into electric axles here from 2024. Transmission production is at the Hedelfingen plant. Battery systems for the all-electric EQS and EQE models have also been produced here since 2021. This year will also see the start of production of parts for electric drive units. Flexible production is located in Sirnau and training is based in Brühl. Since 2022, the Brühl plant has been home to a battery factory producing systems for Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid models.

Overview of Hungarian Grand Prix Race, 2024

 

Formula One - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, British GP 2024. Lewis Hamilton

We head into the upcoming double header with momentum. We have continued to make progress with the W15 in recent races. That has led to headline results in Austria and Silverstone. However, we know we don’t yet have a car that can challenge for victories every weekend. The team is working hard to bring more steps of performance that we hope will enable us to do that. Those efforts will continue over the next two races and right up until shutdown.

The Hungaroring is different in character to the past couple of circuits. Unlike Silverstone, it features plenty of tight and twisty sections, with just one meaningful straight. It does contain some high-speed corners too however and it will therefore be another good examination of the gains we’ve made across the corner speed range. We head into the weekend focused on doing the best job we can. We hope to maintain this positive trajectory and finish the first half of the season as strongly as possible.

Fact File: Hungarian Grand Prix

• The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend tends to be one of the hottest of the year, with an average air temperature of 25°C and a maximum of 33°C.
• Correspondingly, track temperatures tend to also be high with an average of 36°C rising to a maximum of just over 50°C.
• The amount of braking activity, with six events across the lap, coupled with the high ambient temperatures and the absence of long straights make the circuit exceptionally taxing on the brakes.
• The low average speed at the Hungaroring also limits airflow, which makes it even more of a challenge to cool the brakes.
• The circuit features 14 corners, six to the left and eight to the right. Many of these follow one after another in quick succession, meaning a well-balanced car that can handle directional changes is important for lap time.
• The Hungaroring has one of the lowest top speeds of the season at just over 310 km/h. That is perhaps no surprise given the cars spend just over 10 seconds on a straight over the course of a fast lap, with the remaining time spent cornering.
• Those track characteristics are also reflected in the full throttle percentage, which is just 58% of the lap time. This is one of the lowest figures we see across the year.
• Despite a relatively short start/finish straight, the distance from pole position to the braking zone for Turn 1 measures 472 metres, on the longer side compared to other venues we visit.
• Given the prevalence of slower corners, good traction is important here. That is why this circuit puts the rear tyres under a lot of stress.
• 2022 saw George take his maiden F1 pole position, while Lewis recorded his first pole position in 18 months in 2023, by taking his ninth pole at the circuit, a new F1 record for most poles at a single Grand Prix.
• Lewis is the most successful driver in Hungarian Grand Prix history with a tally of eight victories. Next on the list is Michael Schumacher with four wins to his name.   

A 1000km road trip in a 1893 Benz Victoria

Benz Victoria of 1894. Vehicle of Theodor von Liebieg (presumably 3rd from the right) on the long-distance journey from Bohemia to the Moselle and back, together with Franz Stransky (2nd from the right). On the return journey, Carl Benz (5th from the left) and his family accompanied the customer from Mannheim to Gernsheim. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: 67039)

 Adventure in the Benz Victoria: Almost one thousand kilometres by car was truly an adventure in 1894. Baron Theodor von Liebieg was equal to the challenge. He was the son of a manufacturer from Reichenberg, now Liberec in the Czech Republic, and an early customer of Carl Benz. The car he drove was a Benz Victoria. This was equipped with a pioneering innovation – double-pivot steering.

More safety and comfort: In 1893, Carl Benz developed the principle of double-pivot steering to production maturity and equipped a four-wheeled automobile with it for the first time. The new technology made driving considerably safer and more comfortable than with conventional drawbar steering. In the latter, the entire front axle swivels around a pivot point as in a horse-drawn vehicle. The risk of tipping over is particularly high on tight bends. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach also developed an alternative to drawbar steering for their steel-wheeled carriage of 1889.

Mercedes-Benz Museum, Legend Room 1: Pioneers – The Invention of the Automobile. Benz Victoria of 1893. Close-up of the stub axle steering. The upper rods transmit the steering impulse to the vertical, double-sprung shaft. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: D830132)

Pioneering innovation: In the Victoria, both front wheels were steered independently of each other and their tracks converged at the apex of the bend. This was a trailblazing innovation in the truest sense of the word. Visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Museum can see the highly innovative steering system designed by the Mannheim car inventor on the Benz Victoria of 1893 in the Legend Room 1: Pioneers – The Invention of the Automobile.

High technology with steering crank: The bodywork of the Benz Victoria resembles a coach. However, the new steering technology was a real highlight of the early automotive era. Its sophisticated design showed the way to the future. The vehicle is steered using a horizontal crank located in the center of the vehicle on top of the vertical steering column. The steering column transmits the steering impulse to a horizontal cross-rod, which in turn moves two longitudinally arranged rods that run side by side under the vehicle body up to the front axle and move in opposite directions. At the front axle, the steering impulse is again transferred from a cross-rod to a vertical shaft. This isolates the steering from shocks imparted by the road surface, which was generally poor at the time, by means of a coil spring and a leaf spring at right angles to the direction of travel. Finally, the two track rods lead from the leaf spring to the front wheels, which are guided in a fork axle.

Early customer: Baron Theodor von Liebieg visited Carl Benz in Mannheim in 1893, was impressed by the Victoria and ordered one. It was delivered in the spring of 1894 – by rail, as was customary for such long distances at the time.

“Benz Journey” in 1894: Liebieg, just 22 years old at the time, had become fascinated by the new means of transport and wanted to use it not only in his home region. So 130 years ago, he boldly decided to undertake an almost 1,000-kilometre automobile journey to Gondorf on the Moselle.

Unique record: The Mercedes-Benz Classic archives have a valuable document covering this extraordinary journey – the original, detailed and richly illustrated diary. It provides extensive and elaborate information about the experiences of Liebieg and his companion Franz Stransky on this “Journey by Benz from Bohemia to the banks of the Moselle”, as it says on the front cover of the diary.

In the tradition of Bertha Benz: Liebieg and Stransky set off on 16 July 1894. Barely six years had passed since Bertha Benz made her first long-distance journey in an automobile. In August 1888, Carl’s wife travelled from Mannheim to Pforzheim with their two sons in a Benz Patent Motor Car Model 3, demonstrating the potential of the automobile for individual mobility.

A major challenge: There had been considerable technical improvements between 1888 and 1894, but Liebieg’s long-distance journey was still extremely demanding. This was because the roads were not designed for this innovative mode of transport, and there was still no reliable refuelling infrastructure. Motorists purchased petrol from pharmacies or chemists along the way, filling it into the shiny brass tank above the front axle. The average fuel consumption of their Benz Victoria was more than 20 litres per 100 kilometres. After six stages with a total journey time of 69 hours, they arrived in Gondorf having covered a total distance of 939 kilometres.

Well equipped: Historical photos show how similar Liebieg’s car was to the Benz Victoria on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The vehicle was characterised by slim wood-spoked wheels with a smaller diameter at the front than at the rear, block brakes for deceleration, chain drive at the rear axle, a high seating position and a folding soft top. The horizontal single-cylinder engine produced 2.9 kW (4 hp) from a displacement of 1,990 cubic centimetres. The Museum exhibit, which is one year older, develops 2.2 kW (3 hp) from a displacement of 1,726 cubic centimetres. In addition, Liebieg fitted his Victoria with a third lantern at the front. The Baron’s original vehicle is now on display in the Technical Museum in Prague.

Ingenious basic principle: The young aristocrat was not only enthusiastic about technology, but also about the freedom that motorised individual mobility made possible. As he wrote in his diary: “We chose a vehicle that frees us from petty annoyances and leaves us to direct matters for ourselves. This was the petrol motor car of the ingenious Benz in Mannheim.”

Overnight stage to Mannheim: On 20 July 1894, Liebieg and his travelling companion arrived in Mannheim. This marked the end of a spectacular two-day run which included an overnight journey, by far the longest single stage of the journey. The first port of call was the birthplace of the Victoria. Theodor von Liebieg: “We immediately drove to the Benz & Cie. factory, where Mr [Friedrich] von Fischer and Mr [Carl] Benz awaited us; both were delighted with our daring endeavour and the happy outcome. After all, the car had covered 282 kilometres in the last 26 hours, a distance that no one has ever undertaken on such a vehicle[!].”

A contemporary testimony to good service: The diary from 1894 is an impressive document about early long-distance journeys by car. It also testifies to the strong service ethic at Benz & Cie.: during the stops in Mannheim on the outward and return journeys, the vehicle of Baron von Liebieg was extensively serviced. And after a breakdown during a stay of several weeks on the Moselle, where the Baron went on numerous excursions, a Benz mechanic was despatched there to carry out the necessary work.

A fond farewell: On the way back, car designer Benz and his family even escorted their customer. “On Sunday we started our journey home again, accompanied by the whole Benz family, who travelled with us as far as Gernsheim. We said our goodbyes over the last bottle of Moselle, and after photographing the two cars we drove on alone towards Offenbach.” All in all, Liebieg covered around 2,500 kilometres in his Victoria on this journey to the Moselle and back.

From long-distance driving to motorsport: The “Benz Journey” undertaken by Liebieg in 1894 was important proof that the motor car was perfectly suited to travelling very long distances. In the same year, the same idea gave rise to a new form of competition in France, namely motor racing: Vehicles with Daimler-licensed engines won the first automobile race from Paris to Rouen. This marked the beginning of 130 years of motorsport at Mercedes-Benz. Theodor von Liebieg was also involved. Among other events, he took part in the first automobile race through the Alps in 1898, and in 1899 won the first international race in Vienna with a Benz 8 hp racing car.