Daimler: First European Company To Make EVs In US -- Making America Great -- September 21, 2017

A huge "thank you" to Don for sending me the link to this story.

This may be the biggest story of the week, but there have been so many incredible stories since November 8, 2016, it's really quite hard to keep up.

But here's another story.

Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) has announced it will compete with Tesla mano a mano. Data points at Bloomberg:

• at its Alabama factory; Tuscaloosa, AL; yes, the Alabama factory that is in the US
• $1 billion investment
• 600 jobs in the region
• plug-in vehicles AND batteries will be made at the factory
• this will be Daimler's fifth battery plant globally
• SUVs -- will take on Tesla's Model X
• first Europe company to assemble plug-in autos in the US
• Daimler in talks to expand its joint venture in China
• Tesla still dominates US battery-electric vehicle sales

From the article:

Mercedes, which topped BMW as the top luxury auto brand in the U.S. last year, started assembling vehicles in Alabama 20 years ago. The factory has since emerged as one of the brand’s main manufacturing hubs worldwide, with some 70 percent of assembled vehicles slated for export to global markets. About 3,700 employees produce the GLE, GLE Coupe and GLS SUVs at the site, which added the the C-Class sedan for the North American market in 2014.

Daimler had at least three options where to invest this $1 billion: Germany, China, the US.

Daimler chose the US.

Daimler got the memo.