German truck manufacturer MAN plans to turn its Munich site into its lead plant for electromobility, thus securing the plant's long-term future. "We will invest a three-digit million amount in Munich for the conversion and the planned ramp-up of e-truck production by around the middle of the decade," the company's new CEO Alexander Vlaskamp told the "Münchner Merkurtz" media group (Thursday edition).
The research and development department at the main plant in Munich, the capita of the southern German state of Bavaria, will also focus more on the topic of autonomous driving, Vlaskamp said. Accordingly, the first test drives on the roads of Bavaria are to begin before the end of the first half of the year. However, a test driver will always be on board and can take over the steering wheel at any time, he added.
At the same time, Vlaskamp countered speculation that the Munich site could lose importance in the long term in view of the company’s ongoing restructuring program and the partial relocation of production from Munich to MAN's Polish plant in Krakow. "Munich will continue to be our headquarters," assured the new MAN CEO. According to him, the current staffing level in Munich of 7,500, which was agreed with the employees, will also be maintained.
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