Jan. 27, 2015—Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. announced on Tuesday that it has selected AM General LLC to manufacture the Mercedes-Benz R-Class luxury vehicle at AM General's 675,000 square-foot commercial assembly plant in Mishawaka, Ind.
Because of increasing demand for its sport utility vehicles and the need for greater production capacity in the U.S, Mercedes-Benz is moving production of the R-Class from its Tuscaloosa, Ala., plant to AM General's commercial assembly plant in Mishawaka.
Under the multi-year agreement, AM General becomes Mercedes-Benz's first and only contract manufacturing operator in the U.S. AM General anticipates R-Class vehicles will start rolling off its production lines this summer and will hire and train hundreds of new workers in order to prepare for R-Class production.
"AM General is pleased to have been selected by Mercedes-Benz to build this vehicle at our world-class commercial vehicle facility in Mishawaka. We look forward to a long-term relationship with Mercedes and expanding our services to the U.S. and global auto industry," Charlie Hall, president and CEO of AM General, said in a release.
AM General's Commercial Assembly Plant is a full service manufacturing and support facility that utilizes robotic welding, painting and assembly techniques.