Mercedes-Benz so as to add new automobile to Alabama plant amid Trump price lists

Mercedes-Benz on Thursday mentioned it’s going to upload a brand new automobile to its plant in Alabama amid President Donald Trump‘s auto price lists.

The German automaker mentioned it’s going to localize manufacturing of the “core segment” automobile at its plant close to Tuscaloosa by way of 2027. Officials declined to reveal main points of the automobile, however the plant most commonly produces Mercedes-Benz SUVs.

“We are getting even closer to the U.S. customer by localizing a core segment model in Tuscaloosa, strengthening our ties to the North American market where a range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles including the GLE and GLS models have their roots,” Mercedes-Benz North America CEO Jason Hoff mentioned in a free up.

A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz declined to touch upon whether or not the brand new automobile in Alabama used to be a results of Trump’s price lists, bringing up a “local-for-local strategy” of manufacturing cars the place it sells them.

The automaker mentioned the Alabama plant has established itself as “the global export hub for Mercedes-Benz SUVs.” The corporate mentioned more or less 60% of SUVs assembled on the plant are exported.

The announcement comes amid Trump’s ongoing 25% auto price lists on imported cars, in addition to further levies of 25% on car portions which might be scheduled to enter impact by way of Saturday.