German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz intends to move its New Jersey headquarters to either Georgia or even North Carolina. This would mean ending more than 40-year tradition and connection with the state and also the jobs.
MBUSA is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer services for every Mercedes-Benz product in the United States. Mercedes-Benz executives are currently taking into consideration Atlanta and a few more cities in the state of North Carolina. In Montvalle, New Jersey, Mercedes-Benz USA occupies about 141,000 square feet of office space and it employs more than 500 people.
MBUSA has not confirmed yet the decision as spokesman Rob Moran said “As a matter of policy, the company does not comment on rumour or speculation. There’s a lot of rumour and speculation out there—none of it coming from us.”
This decision would mean that Mercedes-Benz headquarters will be closer to the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama, which continues to expand and it is expect to achieve an annual output of 300,000 vehicles by 2016. Furthermore, this possible relocation highlights even more the tendency of the auto industry to move to the South. The Southeast region is becoming an emerging threat that challenges the current domination of the Midwest as the main auto industry centre.
But this isn’t the first time Mercedes-Benz USA intends to move its headquarters. In 1998, the premium manufacturer agreed to relocate to nearby Pearl River, N.Y., but it never materialized because of the rising costs.
