Mercedes Delays GLC Production In The US, Extending Its Tariff Troubles

GLC assembly at the Vance, Alabama plant now begins in May 2030, extending import tariffs instead of starting local output in 2027.

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

By: Brian Potter

Nov 4, at 7:33am ET

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Mercedes-Benz just pushed a major US production plan back by roughly thirty months. The automaker has rescheduled the start of GLC compact crossover assembly at its Vance, Alabama plant from late 2027 to May 2030, according to people familiar with the plans.

The delay covers the next-generation GLC that Mercedes still plans to add in Alabama. The current model already appears on plant lists for Vance alongside the GLE, GLS, and electric EQE and EQS SUVs, showing that at least part of US GLC output is already localized.

Mercedes-Benz confirmed the new date directly. "Production has been rescheduled for May 2030," the company said, without detailing what drove the shift. Automotive News first reported the delay, citing people familiar with the automaker's planning.

Mercedes-Benz GLC Production Now Starts In May 2030

Mercedes.Benz GLE and GLS production in Tuscaloosa Alabama

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

The original schedule called for the next-generation GLC to start rolling out of Alabama in the fourth quarter of 2027. That target is now gone, replaced by a start date more than thirty months later.

In spring 2026 Mercedes and state officials announced roughly $4 billion in new investment for the Vance operation tied to future SUV programs, explicitly including the GLC alongside updated GLE and GLS models. Once expanded GLC assembly comes online under that plan, the facility's annual output is expected to top 280,000 vehicles a year.

The company expects to build around 50,000 GLCs in the first 12 months of the new US line once it starts, though it has not tied that figure to a specific calendar year.

Vance has built Mercedes SUVs since the 1990s, making it the natural home for long-term GLC assembly once the automaker decided to expand production stateside. The three-year delay does not change that plan, just the timeline for executing it.

How A 15 Percent Tariff Weighs On Mercedes GLC Imports

Mercedes.Benz GLE and GLS production in Tuscaloosa Alabama

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes has not laid out a public explanation for the pushed-back timeline, and the available reporting stops short of naming a single cause. What is clear is the practical effect: a large share of GLC volume for the US still has to arrive from Europe while the expanded Alabama capacity waits until 2030.

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Those imports carry the 15 percent combined tariff now applied to passenger vehicles from the European Union under the current US-EU trade framework. For a vehicle built in the hundreds of thousands annually, the exposure compounds with each model year the delay stretches on.

Mercedes continues building other US-market models domestically at Vance, including the EQE and EQS SUVs, and in South Carolina with the Sprinter van.