The Mercedes-Benz plant that produces the GLE and GLS is in Alabama, at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International near Vance.
The facility was announced in 1993 and began production in 1997 with the ML320, the predecessor of today’s GLE. It is located west of Birmingham and east of Tuscaloosa, making Alabama an important center of Mercedes-Benz SUV production in North America.
The plant has built several generations of Mercedes SUVs, including the M-Class, GL-Class, GLE, and GLS. It also produces electric SUVs such as the EQS SUV and EQE SUV. South Carolina is a common mix-up because Mercedes-Benz operates its U.S. van plant there, while BMW has a major SUV factory in South Carolina.
The GLE and GLS are not made at Mercedes-Benz’s passenger-car plant in Germany for the U.S. market; many North American examples come from the Alabama operation.