Which Mercedes-Benz Models Are Made In America?
Ask the average person where a Mercedes-Benz is built, and the answer is likely to be Germany. Yet some of the brand's most popular models leave a factory thousands of miles from the city of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, at a 6-million-square-foot assembly plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It's an effort that dates back to the 1990s with the original M-Class and mirrors BMW's decision to build vehicles in the American South.
Mercedes reports that over 4.5 million passenger vehicles and 400,000 vans have been built domestically. The automaker estimates that 60% of the SUVs it manufactures in Alabama are exported. Mercedes' U.S. assembly operations are substantial, employing 8,000 people. In addition to the main factory, where the GLE, GLE Coupe, GLS, EQE SUV, EQS SUV, and the Maybach variants of the GLS and EQS SUV are built, the company also assembles Sprinter vans in South Carolina. For several years, the C-Class and R-Class were also assembled in Tuscaloosa.
Current U.S. production: GLE, GLE Coupe, GLS, EQE SUV, EQS SUV, and Sprinter van
On the internal combustion side, Mercedes' U.S. production is centered around the GLE and GLS SUVs. The midsized GLE is the successor to the longer-serving M-Class (covered below), and joined the lineup for the 2016 model year. The second-generation GLE hit showrooms for the 2020 model year. It's unsurprising that the GLE-based GLE Coupe also has a production history in Alabama. It debuted for 2016 as part of the regular Mercedes lineup, but became solely part of the performance-focused AMG offerings the following year. A more mundane GLE Coupe, the GLE 450 4Matic Coupe, returned in 2025.
The company's flagship GLS SUV is also built in Tuscaloosa, and started as the GL for the 2007 model year. The second generation launched for 2013 and was rebranded as the GLS for 2017, when Mercedes changed its trim structure nomenclature. The latest generation debuted for the 2020 model year. A year later, Mercedes upped the ante by introducing a Maybach version of the GLS, the first use of the storied sub-brand on an SUV. Alabama also has a role in the company's EV production, building the EQE SUV and EQS SUV in the same facility as their gas-powered counterparts. Both models were launched for the 2023 model year, but 2026 saw hefty price reductions and production stops due to slow sales. The Maybach version of the EQS SUV also enjoyed serious discounts for the same reason.
The U.S. is also home to a van assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina. In operation since 2006, the facility assembles Sprinter vans and previously built the Metris for the U.S. and Canadian markets. The all-electric eSprinter was added to the production roster in 2024.
Past U.S. production: M-Class, GL-Class, C-Class, R-Class
Mercedes broke new ground when it launched the M-Class for the 1998 model year, beating the Lexus RX and BMW X5 to the luxury SUV market by a couple of years. The M-Class was the first vehicle built at the Tuscaloosa plant, with the first generation lasting through 2005. Production continued with the second-generation M-Class from 2006 through 2011. 2012 marked the debut of the third generation, with the ML-based nameplate changing to the GLE in 2016. Similarly, the flagship GL-Class began production for 2007, and would morph into the GLS in 2017.
Mercedes deviated from the SUV formula in Alabama by building the R-Class MPV there. It was a short-lived model — sold in the U.S. from 2006 to 2012 – and itshared a platform with the M-Class and GL-Class. The company also took a different turn by building the fourth-generation (2015 to 2021) C-Class sedan alongside the M-Class and GL-Class SUVs. Mercedes moved C-Class production outside of the U.S. when the fifth generation debuted for the 2022 model year.