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.

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.

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