SAO PAULO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- German automaker Mercedes-Benz on Thursday announced its decision to close its luxury car plant in Brazil as the country's depressed high-end market has been further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plant, which the company opened in March 2016 in Iracemapolis, a municipality in southeast Sao Paulo state, will be closed this month, according to the carmaker.
"The economic situation in Brazil has been difficult for many years and worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a significant drop in premium car sales," said Jorg Burzer, member of the company's board of directors.
Mercedes-Benz said it will seek alternatives for the plant's 370 employees, including voluntary retirement, and affirmed it will continue to make trucks and buses at its plants in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in Sao Paulo state, and Juiz de Fora, in Minas Gerais state.
The plant at Iracemapolis made the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and GLA SUV models. Enditem
