MUNICH — Mercedes-Benz will build two electric utility vehicles at its plant in Alabama starting in 2022, part of a global EV production plan detailed Monday that also named sites in Europe and China.
Mercedes’ full-electric vehicles will be built in the same factories as electrified and gasoline and diesel models. Plug-in hybrids and full-electric vehicles, should account for more than half of Mercedes’ sales by 2030, the automaker said in a statement Monday. The automaker aims to challenge Tesla for leadership in the premium EV segment.
The Alabama plant, in Vance, will get the EQS and EQE utility vehicles. Mercedes will also produce EV battery systems in Vance.
Other production locations announced Monday are:
- The EQS, a rival to the Tesla Model S, will go into production in Sindelfingen, Germany, in first half of next year.
- The EQA utility vehicle will be built in Beijing starting next year. Production of the model has already started in Rastatt, Germany.
- The EQB utility vehicle will start production in Kecskemet, Hungary, and Beijing next year.
- The EQE will be produced in Bremen, Germany, and Beijing starting next year. The EQC is already built in Bremen and Beijing.
Mercedes will also produce battery systems for its EVs in Germany, Poland and Beijing.