Mercedes closing Michigan financial services center, moving jobs to Georgia
Posted By: Detroit News on May 22, 2025. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Mercedes-Benz said Thursday it plans to establish its North American headquarters in metro Atlanta, where the automaker will expand its existing U.S. corporate hub by adding hundreds of jobs relocated from other cities, including Farmington Hills.
Michigan will lose 400 jobs, according to the company, and another 100 jobs from research and development locations across the United States also will move to Atlanta. A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said in an email that employees will be offered relocation packages.
Another 180 research and development roles will remain in Michigan, and the company plans to create another 20 positions here in that sector. The German automaker will keep open a research and development facility in Ann Arbor.
The changes will add about 500 jobs to the Georgia facility that has served as Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. headquarters since 2018. It employs about 800 people currently. The German automaker said in a news release that it also plans to add a new, multimillion-dollar research and development center nearby.
Most of the additional jobs coming to Sandy Springs north of Atlanta are being moved from Farmington Hills.
“Mercedes Benz has been a longtime partner in Michigan’s mobility industry, and while we are disappointed to see them consolidating their workforce into a Georgia facility, we are grateful that they have made the choice to keep their R&D facility in Ann Arbor,” Otie McKinley, a spokesperson for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, said in an email. “It’s clear the company recognizes the value and importance of leveraging the state’s R&D leadership and robust knowledge economy, and we’re thankful they made the decision to keep these important knowledge-economy jobs here in the state.”
Michael Abdallah, who heads the national and global business attraction unit for Oakland County, said officials tried to persuade Mercedes to keep the Farmington Hills center open with a “strong incentive package with support of the governor and MEDC” as well as Oakland County Executive David Coulter. He did not disclose the amount or type of aid offered.
“In the economic development arena, it’s oftentimes more difficult to retain jobs with incentives than it is to attract new jobs with bigger incentives,” he said. “Most of the programs we have in economic development are tools to incentivize new inbound investment into your community, so Atlanta I hear put together a very aggressive offer to bring all those jobs down to Atlanta from Michigan.”
A Georgia Department of Economic Development spokesperson said details about incentives cannot be shared at this time because the project is active.
Mercedes-Benz said in a news release that the headquarters expansion in Georgia should be completed by August 2026. The automaker had moved its financial services center to a newly constructed building erected by Olympia Development of Michigan at the southwest corner of West 12 Mile and Drake Road in 2022; it previously occupied a building less than mile away at 36455 Corporate Drive.
“Bringing our teams closer together will enable us to be more agile, increase speed to market, and ensure the best customer experience,” Jason Hoff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America, said in a statement.
The headquarters expansion bolsters Georgia’s reputation for luring automotive jobs. Porsche also has its North American headquarters outside Atlanta, while Hyundai and Kia both have large manufacturing plants in the state. Electric SUV maker Rivian is also building a Georgia factory.
“Georgia continues to lead the way in the future of mobility and technical innovation, attracting world-class companies like Mercedes-Benz that are driving the automotive industry forward,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement.
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