M-B's 'crazy' idea revived Alabama
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER
October 2, 2017
A little over 20 years ago, just before the Titantic ran in theatres and the world was introduced to Harry Potter, the Mercedes-Benz W163, dubbed "Job1," rolled off the assembly line at Vance, Ala., launching the M class.
It was a risky experiment for Daimler-Benz: its first manufacturing plant outside Germany, building an entirely new product and its first wholly manufactured SUV.
Mercedes production boss Markus Schaefer said the idea, hatched by former Mercedes boss Juergen Hubbert, was considered "crazy."
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