60 Years of Mercedes-Benz Truck Assembly in Wörth am Rhein

Production anniversary of a special kind: Exactly 60 years ago, the workforce of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth assembled the first complete truck, which rolled off the production line there in July 1965. It was a green Mercedes-Benz LP 608. Production at the plant began with around 100 employees nearly two years earlier in October 1963.

(Wörth am Rhein) Initially, truck cabs were manufactured, which were then delivered to the Gaggenau (heavy trucks) or Mannheim (medium and light trucks) plants for further assembly. From 1965 onwards, Wörth became the focus of commercial vehicle production at Mercedes-Benz. In the central assembly plant, complete vehicles were now assembled and delivered. The Gaggenau and Kassel locations specialized in the production of transmissions and axles for trucks, while Mannheim focused on engines and bus production.

In 1960, a new direction for the commercial vehicle division was established

Originally planned as a “manufacturing site for aggregates,” the then Daimler-Benz AG realigned its commercial vehicle strategy in the early 1960s. As part of this, production was also reorganized: The Wörth plant was not to supply engines as originally intended, but was designated as the plant for high-volume production of all truck classes, where the entire production and final assembly would take place. Thus, the truck production of the group was divided into aggregate manufacturing and assembly.

At the beginning of production, different series, from the “light Wörther” to the “heavy Wörther,” ran over an assembly line – production was already considered extremely flexible at that time. In the more than 60 years since production began, over 4.4 million trucks have been manufactured in Wörth – including more than 800,000 Completely Knocked Down vehicle kits that are shipped for final assembly on-site in numerous overseas markets.

Production of three models

Today, the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth produces the models Actros, Arocs, and Atego. The Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks Econic, Unimog, and Zetros are also built in Wörth. In 2021, series production of the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 300/400 for distribution traffic began. In 2022, the second electric series truck, the Mercedes-Benz eEconic for municipal use, followed. At the end of 2024, Daimler Truck celebrated the series launch of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 for long-distance transport in Wörth.

Photos: © Mercedes-Benz Truck