Mercedes-Benz on Monday confirmed plans to build two electric SUVs at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama, factory as part of the revised rollout of electric models under its EQ sub-brand.
The Alabama factory will build an SUV variant of the previously-teased EQS luxury sedan, as well as a second SUV called EQE, beginning in 2022, Mercedes said in a press release. Those electric models will be built alongside gasoline and plug-in hybrid vehicles, Mercedes said.
The two United States-built SUVs are part of a larger ramp-up of electric-car production that also encompasses factories in Europe and China.
It will kick off in the first half of 2021, when the EQS sedan enters production at a factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. Later in the year, factories in Rastatt, Germany, and Beijing will begin building the EQA compact crossover.
Also in 2021, a factory in Kecskemét, Hungary, will start building the EQB compact crossover, while the EQE "business sedan" will start production in Bremen, Germany. Both models will also be built in Beijing, with production scheduled to start shortly after Europe.
Daimler factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
These announcements indicate Mercedes' long-discussed electric offensive is finally underway.
Mercedes' electric car push under the EQ sub-brand goes back more than four years—when it announced that it would launch 10 fully electric EQ models by 2025.
The all-electric EQ vehicles were led by the EQC, which has been delayed repeatedly for the U.S. and now appears to be canceled at least until a mid-cycle refresh.
The EQC or a variant of it was also due to be made in the U.S., but those plans could be canceled with this announcement and a focus on the larger EQE and EQS.
Just earlier this year, Mercedes revealed a revamped strategy to instead electrify some of its biggest, most luxurious vehicle types first. That's why the EQS is the next electric model slated to start production.