Mercedes-Benz goes digital first to make GLA variants at Rastatt
A digital twin promises a production win for the carmaker as it builds the latest GLA electric and hybrid SUVs on its MO360 digital production ecosystem
In September this year Mercedes-Benz launched series production of its new electric GLA compact SUV at its Rastatt plant in Germany, alongside the existing GLA combustion-engine model. The Rastatt plant also makes the CLA Coupé and CLA Shooting Brake. Before the end of the year, it will be adding a hybrid variant of the GLA with 48-volt technology. Mercedes-Benz says that its flexible production system enables it to build conventional internal combustion, hybrid and fully electric vehicles on the same line. This allows Mercedes-Benz to react quickly to changes in customer demand. That flexibility continues to strengthen Rastatt's role as a centre of excellence for compact vehicle production within the global production network.
“Our global production network is designed for high flexibility, allowing us to respond quickly to market fluctuations while ensuring efficient utilisation of our production lines,” says Marco Zwick, site manager and head of production for Mercedes-Benz’s Rastatt plant.
Mercedes-Benz has been making cars at Rastatt since 1992 but manufacturing has become more complex as the different drive systems have been introduced. To manage that complexity at Rastatt, Mercedes-Benz is using its Microsoft Azure MO360 production ecosystem, which integrates artificial intelligence and digital twin technology with its Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS).
The Microsoft Azure-based platform brings together production and supply-chain data that was previously stored in separate systems. This allows us to spot potential bottlenecks earlier and allocate resources more dynamically
The existing GLA is currently being made in Assembly Hall 4.1 but Mercedes-Benz is now investing “a low three-digit million euro amount” in converting that hall for production of the next-generation GLA and its various drivetrain variants starting in 2027. “This includes the adaptation of production equipment, assembly stations and logistics processes, supported by digital planning and simulation tools to ensure an efficient and flexible production setup,” says Zwick.
The investment strengthens Rastatt's role within the global Mercedes-Benz production network and supports further digitalisation and flexibility of manufacturing.
Digital twin
The carmaker said that for the conversion of Assembly Hall 4.1 it is using a digital twin to configure and optimise the production line, enabling it to cut construction time and save costs. The strategy has precedent, as Mercedes-Benz used a digital twin to successfully convert Assembly Hall 4.0 in record time in 2023.
Applying a simulation of the production process enables Mercedes-Benz to create a highly precise virtual representation of the production environment before physical conversion work begins. It enables engineers to digitally configure and optimise production lines, machine positioning, logistics routes and process flows in advance.
“By simulating manufacturing scenarios before implementation, we can identify optimisation opportunities early, reduce construction time, minimise disruption and improve cost efficiency,” says Zwick.
Mercedes-Benz is using the Nvidia Omniverse platform for the industrial digital twins being used at Rastatt. According to Zwick, it enables engineers to plan, simulate and validate production equipment and processes virtually before any changes are made on the shop floor. This is central to the carmaker’s Digital First strategy, aimed at integrating new models and technologies faster, with greater planning accuracy and lower costs. At the Rastatt plant, where all-electric and hybrid models are built flexibly on one line, individual production systems have already been implemented as digital twins.
Our Digital First approach [means] we can integrate new models and technologies faster, plan with greater accuracy and reduce costs
Cloud data
Mercedes-Benz’s MO360 digital production ecosystem is used across the entire global production network. The plants themselves are connected via the cloud-based MO360 Data Platform, which analyses production data across the network in real time. Insights gained at one site can therefore benefit others, and proven solutions can be rolled out quickly. Rastatt benefits directly from this. At the same time, as a pioneer of the Digital First approach, the plant combines artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies to effect better transparency, data driven decision-making and continuous optimisation of manufacturing processes, says Zwick.
Mercedes-Benz connects its global production network through the Microsoft Azure-based MO360 Data Platform. “The cloud brings together production and supply chain data that was previously held in separate systems, which creates greater transparency and predictability across the network,” says Zwick. “Teams can identify potential bottlenecks earlier and allocate production resources dynamically. The cloud also provides the computing power to apply artificial intelligence and data analytics globally, while meeting regional cybersecurity and compliance standards.”
Cross-plant configuration
Mercedes-Benz uses high-precision digital simulation techniques to plan, configure and validate production equipment and processes virtually before they are implemented on the shop floor. The carmaker says the approach has proven itself in practice: in 2023, the production line in Rastatt's assembly hall 4.0 was converted, configured and optimised within just a few weeks by means of virtual commissioning. This reduced risk during ramp-up and ensured that new equipment integrated smoothly into existing workflows.
The digital manufacturing execution system also helps coordinate production between Rastatt and the Kuppenheim and Untertürkheim plants to effectively manage the delivery of components electric drive units and body parts just-in-time.
The electric drive units and axles for the latest GLA are produced in Untertürkheim, at Mercedes-Benz’s Hedelfingen and Mettingen plants. Each drive unit is made of three subsystems: an electric motor, power electronics and the gearbox. The power-transmitting wheelset and other components, such as the control system, are also manufactured there. The assembly of these components into a complete system takes place at the Untertürkheim plant. Mettingen is also responsible for assembling the electric axles for the GLA, which are then delivered to Rastatt as a complete system.
The GLA’s high-voltage batteries come from Mercedes-Benz’s subsidiary Accumotive in Kamenz, Saxony.
Body-in-white components as well as structural and body parts are made at the Mercedes-Benz Kuppenheim plant, located 10km from Rastatt, which is now organised as part of Rastatt operations.
“The electric drive units and axles for the new GLA are supplied by the Untertürkheim plant and its Mettingen and Hedelfingen sites,” explains Zwick “Body-in-white components as well as structural and body parts come from Kuppenheim, which has been part of the Rastatt plant since the beginning of 2026.”
Logistics for the network is coordinated through the Mercedes-Benz International Consolidation Center (ICC) in Bischweier (a district of Rastatt). Together, Rastatt, Kuppenheim and Bischweier form the automotive region there. All sites work with the MO360 digital production ecosystem, while the MO360 Data Platform analyses their production data across the network.
Chip-to-cloud platform
In Rastatt, production is also directly linked to the Mercedes Intelligent Cloud via MB.OS, so every vehicle leaves the plant with up-to-date software. The carmaker describes the MB.OS as a chip-to-cloud software platform that connects the vehicle’s hardware to the cloud and manages a range of functions. That includes in-car functions for drivers but it also helps with manufacturing quality, connecting manufacturing and production data, streamlining how software configurations are flashed and tested during assembly. The chip-to-cloud architecture transfers the vehicle software via a central server of the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Cloud instead of via various hardware modules, so that the vehicles always roll off the assembly line with the latest version.
“Rastatt was the first Mercedes-Benz plant to implement MB.OS in production, which serves as the blueprint for plants worldwide,” says Zwick. “The experience gained from the production launches of the CLA and GLA, as well as from the use of digital twins, also feeds back into the entire production network.”
We use high-precision digital simulation to plan, configure and validate production equipment and processes before they are implemented on the shop floor
MB.OS centralises software operations in Mercedes-Benz vehicle production. Production is directly connected to the Mercedes Intelligent Cloud (MIC), which is responsible for software update packages and the installation processes. “As a result, vehicle software is continuously updated during production, and every vehicle leaves the plant always up to date", says Zwick.
Within the development, production and fleet operations network, the MIC is directly linked to the MO360 Data Platform, so the current software status of each vehicle is transparent at all times. Rastatt was the first Mercedes-Benz plant to implement MB.OS in production, starting with the CLA. Following this successful start, MB.OS has now been fully rolled out in the plant's second assembly hall as well, and serves as the blueprint for plants worldwide. This latest investment by Mercedes-Benz reinforces the Rastatt. plant's role as a key hub for Mercedes-Benz's future production of electric, hybrid and software-defined vehicles.
“The start of production of the new GLA marks another important chapter for the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant,” said Torsten Höink, chairman of the Works Council at the Rastatt plant at the production launch in September. “This vehicle represents modern mobility and the successful transformation of our production. The decision to manufacture the GLA in Rastatt strengthens our competitiveness and secures the future for our colleagues.”
