Mercedes Pushes U.S. GLC Production to 2030, Automotive News Reports

Mercedes-Benz has pushed back plans to build its GLC crossover in the United States, according to the trade paper Automotive News. Production at the company’s plant in Vance, Alabama, had been scheduled to begin in late 2027 and is now expected in 2030, with Motor1 citing a May 2030 start based on the same report.

Until U.S. assembly starts, GLC models sold in America will keep coming from Europe. That leaves one of the brand’s most important U.S. models subject to import tariffs for several more years, Car and Driver noted.

What Mercedes says about the reported delay

Mercedes has not confirmed the new timeline. A spokesperson told Motor1 the company is not giving updates on production timing or allocation for any single future model. The spokesperson said Mercedes remains committed to its Tuscaloosa operations and to a planned U.S. investment of $7 billion through 2030. Car and Driver said it asked Mercedes to confirm the report and had not received a reply.

Automotive News based its report on people familiar with the plans. Motor1 described the change as something Mercedes is considering, while Car and Driver reported it as a decision, so the outlets differ on how settled the new date is.

Why the GLC is waiting for its next generation

According to Automotive News, Mercedes wants to begin U.S. production with the next-generation GLC instead of the current model, which was last refreshed in 2023. Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast, told the paper that investing in the plant for roughly half a model’s life and then retooling for the next one makes little financial sense.

Motor1 put the original target at the fourth quarter of 2027, which would make the reported shift a delay of more than two and a half years. Motor1 also said Automotive News did not establish a firm reason for the change.

What the Alabama plant builds now

The Vance plant has built Mercedes SUVs since the 1990s. It currently produces the GLE and GLS along with the electric EQE and EQS SUVs. Mercedes also builds the Sprinter van in South Carolina.

In spring 2026, Mercedes and Alabama officials announced about $4 billion of investment at Vance aimed at future SUV programs, reportedly including the GLC and updated GLE and GLS models. Earlier reports said the expansion could lift the plant’s yearly output above 280,000 vehicles, with the GLC accounting for about 50,000 units in its first 12 months of U.S. production. Mercedes has not confirmed those volume figures.

What it means for GLC buyers and prices

Passenger vehicles imported from the European Union currently face a 15 percent combined tariff under the U.S.-EU trade framework. Every GLC shipped from Germany carries that cost for as long as U.S. production is on hold, and Motor1 noted that the exposure grows with each model year the delay lasts. Mercedes has not said whether or how the tariff affects GLC pricing.

The tariff rate itself may change. Car and Driver cited reports that the Trump administration is weighing a cut on European cars to 10 percent, as part of an effort to persuade Audi to build a planned $4 billion plant in Georgia. No decision has been announced.

What to watch next

Mercedes has not issued an official production date for the U.S.-built GLC. Any confirmation of the 2030 timeline, a change in the EU tariff rate, or an update on the Alabama investment would show how long GLC shoppers in the U.S. will be buying an imported model. Car and Driver said it will update its story if Mercedes responds.

Sources: Car and Driver, Motor1