Mercedes to expand U.S. production of SUVs, commercial vans

• Mercedes' decision underscores the importance of Alabama in the automaker's global production network, the company said.

Driving the news: Mercedes did not say how much it would invest in the plant, or whether any jobs would be created, but said it could add GLC production without an expansion.

• GLC output will be primarily for the North American market.
• Mercedes sold more than 64,000 GLC crossovers last year in the U.S.

The intrigue: The Alabama investment will occur along with an expansion at Mercedes' Sprinter van assembly plant in Charleston, S.C., which CEO Ola Källenius described as a "significant investment in a whole new class" of light commercial vans.

What they're saying: Mercedes employs about 11,000 U.S. workers, and with suppliers, that number is over 150,000.

• "So we feel like we're as American as most companies that were founded in America, and that is the context in which these investments should be seen," he told reporters Monday.