For Alabama’s economic future, the pivotal moment came on Sept. 30, 1993, when executives of Mercedes-Benz arrived in Tuscaloosa with an announcement that shocked the global business community.
In the months leading to that day, a Mercedes team had explored potential sites in at least 30 states as a home for the automaker’s first U.S. manufacturing facility. They came to Alabama that day to announce their decision.
For many, the news was a lightning bolt out of the blue. After all, Alabama had never produced an automobile and barely had any presence in the industry.
But Mercedes found what it wanted in a rolling 900-acre site, lined with pine trees, just outside of Tuscaloosa.
The initial investment back in 1993 was $400 million, with plans for 1,500 workers. The project quickly become much more than that; in fact, it came to represent a dividing line for Alabama.
For many, it became “Before Mercedes” — and “After Mercedes.”
Flash forward to 2023. Mercedes has invested over $7 billion in its Alabama operation through repeated expansions that have seen its workforce in Tuscaloosa County swell to over 6,300 people. Over 4 million vehicles have rolled down its assembly lines.
MadeInAlabama.com
