Mercedes-Benz to produce 1 millionth Alabama-built vehicle
11-28-2007, 10:48 AM
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Mercedes-Benz to produce 1 millionth Alabama-built vehicle
Mercedes-Benz to produce 1 millionth Alabama-built vehicle
Tuesday, November 27, 2007DAWN KENTNews staff writer
The 1 millionth Alabama-built Mercedes-Benz is expected to roll off the assembly line today in Vance, capping off a milestone year for the German company that put the state on the automaking map back in 1997.
The vehicle, an ML350 sport utility, began working its way through the shop last week. It moved from body to paint on Wednesday and from paint to assembly on Monday.
As the vehicle leaves each area, employees are posing around it for a group picture, and more of the same is planned today, said plant spokeswoman Felyicia Jerald.
Plans are in the works to donate the vehicle to a charity.
Earlier this year, Mercedes and Alabama celebrated a decade of automaking in the state. The first customer vehicle M-Class rolled off the assembly line in February 1997.
Its arrival marked a shift toward luxury car-like sport utilities in the auto industry. The original M-Class was one of the first to be designed from the ground up, rather than based on an existing truck platform.
Since then, the R-Class crossover and GL-Class full-sized sport utility have joined Mercedes' lineup at its $1 billion-plus assembly plant outside of Tuscaloosa.
The plant has about 4,000 workers and its capacity has grown over time. Last year, workers surpassed expectations by producing 173,600 vehicles.
A study commissioned to coincide with Mercedes' 10th anniversary in Alabama showed the automaker and its top suppliers were responsible for a $6.8 billion economic impact in 2006, as well as 41,830 jobs.
The automaker also has been credited for starting a following of other automakers to the state, including Honda and Hyundai.
In its October U.S. sales report, Mercedes said sales of the M-Class rose 6.2 percent over October 2006, while GL-Class sales rose 13.9 percent. Sales of the R-Class fell from the year-ago period by 43.4 percent.
E-mail: dkent@bhamnews.com
http://www.al.com/business/birmingha...910.xml&coll=2
Tuesday, November 27, 2007DAWN KENTNews staff writer
The 1 millionth Alabama-built Mercedes-Benz is expected to roll off the assembly line today in Vance, capping off a milestone year for the German company that put the state on the automaking map back in 1997.
The vehicle, an ML350 sport utility, began working its way through the shop last week. It moved from body to paint on Wednesday and from paint to assembly on Monday.
As the vehicle leaves each area, employees are posing around it for a group picture, and more of the same is planned today, said plant spokeswoman Felyicia Jerald.
Plans are in the works to donate the vehicle to a charity.
Earlier this year, Mercedes and Alabama celebrated a decade of automaking in the state. The first customer vehicle M-Class rolled off the assembly line in February 1997.
Its arrival marked a shift toward luxury car-like sport utilities in the auto industry. The original M-Class was one of the first to be designed from the ground up, rather than based on an existing truck platform.
Since then, the R-Class crossover and GL-Class full-sized sport utility have joined Mercedes' lineup at its $1 billion-plus assembly plant outside of Tuscaloosa.
The plant has about 4,000 workers and its capacity has grown over time. Last year, workers surpassed expectations by producing 173,600 vehicles.
A study commissioned to coincide with Mercedes' 10th anniversary in Alabama showed the automaker and its top suppliers were responsible for a $6.8 billion economic impact in 2006, as well as 41,830 jobs.
The automaker also has been credited for starting a following of other automakers to the state, including Honda and Hyundai.
In its October U.S. sales report, Mercedes said sales of the M-Class rose 6.2 percent over October 2006, while GL-Class sales rose 13.9 percent. Sales of the R-Class fell from the year-ago period by 43.4 percent.
E-mail: dkent@bhamnews.com
http://www.al.com/business/birmingha...910.xml&coll=2
