Mercedes-Benz gave the world a first glimpse today of the 2023 EQS sport utility vehicle, an all-electric luxury ride that will be built at the automaker’s Alabama plant later this year.
The world premiere of the EQS SUV comes amid preparations at the Mercedes campuses in Tuscaloosa County, where the EQS and sibling EQE SUVs will be assembled, and rural Bibb County, where the automaker just opened an EV battery plant. Mercedes announced a $1 billion investment in 2017 to build EVs in Alabama.
“The global Mercedes-Benz production network is digital, sustainable, efficient and flexible,” said Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, Production and Supply Chain Management.
“The Tuscaloosa plant, with its highly skilled and motivated U.S. workforce, will be a critical factor in the continued success of Mercedes-Benz; and we are proud that our new electric SUVs will also be built in Alabama for global markets,” he added.
“Mercedes is leading the way globally in cutting-edge research and development of electric vehicles, and Alabama’s auto workers are playing a key role in this important effort.”
Mercedes will produce the electric SUVS in Alabama as part of a global push to produce eight all-electric vehicles at seven locations on three continents.
“The EQS SUV is the third vehicle on our new all-electric platform,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. “It has everything our customers love about the EQS — and combines this with the strengths and versatility of an SUV that can seat up to seven people.
“With the EQS SUV, we are continuing to consistently implement the strategy of making our vehicles more sustainable and digital — with the goal of building the most desirable electric cars in the world,” he added.
The Alabama-made EQS SUV is expected to land in dealerships later this year. Pricing and range will be announced later.
Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa County operation has produced around 4 million vehicles since 1997, and the company’s investment in Alabama tops $7 billion.
The automaker employs around 4,500 people within its Alabama manufacturing footprint and supports an estimated additional 11,000 jobs with suppliers and service providers in the region.
“Mercedes is leading the way globally in cutting-edge research and development of electric vehicles, and Alabama’s auto workers are playing a key role in this important effort,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
