In a coup for Georgia, Germany’s Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will consolidate its roots in the state by establishing its North American headquarters in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, where its USA headquarters are already located.
In addition, Mercedes will create a new multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art R&D hub in the Atlanta area. “This strategic investment in the Atlanta region will also allow the company to leverage the rich engineering talent pool around institutions like Georgia Institute of Technology and create new opportunities to collaborate with the region’s thriving startup ecosystem and established tech sectors,” the company said.
Technical teams from other U.S. locations will move to the new R&D facility. However, Mercedes will retain 180 R&D jobs in Michigan and grow that number to 200, according to news reports. A corporate real estate team will find a new tenant for the Farmington Hills facility.
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Most affected by the move will be 400 members of Mercedes’ financial services headquarters team in Farmington Hills, who face transfer to Atlanta. In total, up to 500 corporate, technical and high-tech roles will relocate, adding to the 800 Mercedes-Benz employees already in Atlanta. The move is expected to be completed by August 2026.
The existing sales teams, as well as the added financial services teams and corporate functions, will be housed in the original “1MB” structure after some modifications have been made.
“This strengthens our position for continued growth and reinforces our established commitment to the U.S. market. Bringing our teams closer together will enable us to be more agile, increase speed to market, and ensure the best customer experience,” said Jason Hoff, CEO, Mercedes-Benz North America.
Since the goal of the project is to establish a unified North American headquarters for the company, and Atlanta already houses the largest concentration of Mercedes’ corporate staff in the region, a complete transition to Georgia simply made sense, said spokesperson Melinda Memovage. Also, Sandy Springs is within easy reach of Mercedes’ manufacturing plant in Tuscaloosa, AL.
A spokesperson for the city of Sandy Springs stated that the project remains active, and the city has offered its standard incentive package, which can include expedited permitting, a waiver of permit fees and a waiver of business and occupational taxes, contingent upon the size of the investment. He added that in the past decade, the city has spent millions on capital and road improvements near the site of the existing Mercedes facility.
The state has described the project as “competitive.” However, officials with Georgia’s Department of Economic Development said they could not disclose information about incentives or competitors at this time because the project is still active.
Since 1998, Atlanta has also hosted the U.S. headquarters of another German auto company, Porsche Cars North America, the exclusive importer of Porsche cars. In 2025, the company officially opened its $100 million Porsche Experience Center. Located near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, it features a 1.6-mile driver development track, a business center and a fine dining restaurant.
In addition, Korea’s Kia Motors has had a manufacturing plant in the state since 2010, while its parent company, Hyundai, has had a massive electric vehicle metaplant near Savannah in production since 2024.
Moreover, Georgia is home to the U.S. headquarters of Japanese recreational vehicle maker Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America. And the U.S. headquarters of Italy’s Pirelli Tires is situated, fittingly, in Rome, GA.
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