Mercedes-Benz Celebrates its 5 millionth SUV Built in Alabama

• Mercedes-Benz opened a factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, back in 1997.

• Since then, it has produced 5 million SUVs along with a run of C-Class sedans.

• Current products include the GLE, GLS, EQE SUV, and EQS SUV.

Amid the launch of restyled versions of the GLE and GLS for the 2027 model year, Mercedes-Benz celebrated the 5 millionth SUV coming off the production line at its American factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Built in the mid-nineties to serve as the “home” of the brand’s first modern SUV, the ML-Class, the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International facility in Alabama has since produced 5 million SUVs along with a run of C-Class sedans, which were manufactured there between 2015 and 2020.

Apart from the ML and C-Class, past products of the Tuscaloosa plant include the GL-Class (which became the GLS) and the R-Class, which was a hybrid between a wagon and a more traditional SUV.

Since 2016, the facility has been churning out the GLE and GLS families of SUVs, including their high-performance AMG variants.

Starting in 2022, electric vehicles have been manufactured there also, namely the EQE SUV and EQS SUV.

Maybach versions of the GLS and EQS SUV are also made in Alabama.

While the main market for this factory is obviously the United States, it is also a significant export hub, as about 60% of its total production is currently being exported to other markets around the world, such as Europe and the Middle East.

According to the automaker, this fact makes Mercedes-Benz one of the top automotive exporters in the United States.

Mercedes-Benz Gives GLE Major Overhaul with MB.OS and Revised Powertrains

2026 is an important year for the automaker, as it marks its 140^th year in existence and its 138^th year of operation in the United States.

In addition, the revamped GLE and GLS have already started production in Tuscaloosa, and the facility is preparing for the introduction of the upcoming 2027 GLC, which will also be manufactured there.

Mercedes-Benz will invest a further $4 billion into its Alabama factory by 2030, part of a broader $7 billion investment into the United States.

The German automaker also manufactures Sprinter vans in Charleston, South Carolina, in a plant that celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year.