20 years ago, Alabama’s auto industry started rolling with first M-Class
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Twenty years ago today, the first customer-ready M-Class SUVs began rolling off the Mercedes-Benz auto assembly line in Tuscaloosa County, launching new eras for both the automaker and the state of Alabama. For Mercedes, the M-Class was the first mass market SUV, and its success helped spin off a full range of…
Honda’s redesigned Alabama-made Odyssey takes center stage at Detroit auto show
DETROIT, Michigan — Honda today introduced the world to the latest version of its Odyssey minivan, a top-selling model that is produced at the company’s Alabama factory. The redesigned 2018 Odyssey, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, raises the stakes for family-friendly packaging, performance and technology in the minivan segment, said…
Alabama-built Honda Ridgeline wins 2017 ‘Truck of the Year’ award
DETROIT, Michigan — The Alabama-built Honda Ridgeline pickup has been named the 2017 North American Truck of the Year. The award was announced this morning at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Ridgeline bested two other finalists: the Ford F-series Super Duty and the Nissan Titan. In accepting the award, John Mendel, executive vice president of…
RECORD YEAR: Alabama auto production accelerates to all-time high in 2016
Alabama’s auto production climbed to a new record high in 2016, as workers at the state’s three auto assembly plants kept up a brisk pace of building SUVs, pickups and sedans for markets around the world. The Alabama factories of Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz combined to produce at least 1,048,597 vehicles, according to year-end figures…
Alabama auto industry drives into new era with brainpower jobs, deeper skills
As Alabama’s auto industry has grown over the past two decades, so have the jobs and the sophisticated skill sets required to keep production humming. The majority of the positions at the state’s three auto assembly plants are in production, but the automakers have also built up their ranks of other highly-skilled professionals. At Honda…
Lenzing Alabama expansion: $293M investment, 163 jobs
MOBILE, Alabama – Austria-based Lenzing AG announced plans today to invest $293 million to expand production at its Alabama fibers plant, creating 163 new and permanent positions over three years. The Mobile County factory was the first commercial operation in the world to produce and market Lyocell, an eco-friendly, botanic fiber used in clothing and…
How Mercedes is Preparing for the Future in Alabama
Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama operation recorded important milestones in 2022 when the automaker opened a battery plant and launched production of its first electric vehicles in the state. Of course, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, as the Alabama operation is known, is accustomed to venturing into new territory. After all, MBUSI blazed the trail for Alabama’s auto industry when…
TEAM PLAYER: Alabama-made Airbus A321 to make Iron Bowl flyover
MOBILE, Alabama — Airbus said today that an Alabama-built A321 will perform a flyover at Saturday’s Iron Bowl match-up in Tuscaloosa. The aircraft, destined for delivery to Delta Air Lines next month, is scheduled to fly over Bryant-Denny Stadium following the National Anthem and prior to kick-off, which is currently scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.…
BASF to expand capacity at Alabama plant
MCINTOSH, Alabama – German chemical manufacturer BASF plans to spend more than $200 million to boost its worldwide plastic additives business, with a portion of the investment slated for the company’s plant in southwestern Alabama. At the Washington County facility in McIntosh, BASF will expand production capacity in a move that is expected to strengthen…
CEO: Polaris Alabama project ‘transformational’ for company
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama —At a ceremony marking the grand opening of Polaris Industries’ new Alabama manufacturing facility today, CEO Scott Wine called the investment in the new Huntsville production center “transformational” for the company. Minnesota-based Polaris announced plans for the sprawling Alabama plant early last year and launched Alabama production of its Ranger off-road vehicles and…
