SAO PAULO (AP) -- Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz says it will build a new plant in Brazil to produce its C-class sedan and GLA compact sport-utility vehicle.
The German automaker says in a Tuesday statement that the company will make an initial investment of 500 million reals ($224 million) to build the plant in the city of Iracemapolis in Sao Paulo state.
The statement says startup is scheduled for 2016, when the factory is expected to begin producing up to 20,000 vehicles annually. It says the plant will create about 1,000 new jobs and suppliers are expected to hire 3,000 new workers.
The company already manufactures trucks and buses in Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo states.
