Mercedes-Benz Confirms: It's Moving U.S. HQ To Atlanta, Georgia

Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to move its U.S. headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia, surprising absolutely no one.

The German automaker had been considering the move for some time, quietly shopping a number of sites for potential HQs. Back in December, rumors began swirling that the company had settled on Atlanta, and now, the gossip has proven true.

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The announcement is undoubtedly a blow to New Jersey, especially residents of Montvale, the center of Mercedes-Benz's U.S. operations for some 50 years. However, as we discussed several weeks ago, the move to Georgia makes sense for many reasons, including Atlanta's proximity to Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, the company's manufacturing facility that sits a short drive away in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 

Furthermore, Atlanta has an increasingly large pool of auto industry workers, thanks to companies like Porsche that have put down roots there. The move will also put Mercedes in closer contact with the growing Southern market. And not least of all, Georgia is a right-to-work state, which gives unions less power.

Some of those factors are reiterated by Stephen Cannon, President and CEO of MBUSA: