It has been 20 years since Mercedes-Benz made the decision to build an automotive plant in Alabama, but their operation continues to grow. This week the German-based corporation announced that two new models will be rolling off their assembly line in the next two years, bringing 1,400 new jobs to the Tuscaloosa area.

The company is working on a large expansion to get ready for the two new models, and ground has been broken on a new logistic hub to handle the assembly operations.

Next year, the plant will build a new C-Class model, and a “mystery model” is expected for 2015. The Wall Street Journal reported the automobile slated for 2015 will be an “entirely new product,” and those with Mercedes only hint that it could be an SUV.

Over the past 20 years, Alabama has become an automotive hub with Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai all building automotive plants in the state. Mercedes-Benz shipped a record $5-6 billion worth of products from Alabama last year.

“Twenty years ago, I don’t think any of us could have imagined that MBUSI would achieve the level of success that it has, in terms of the major capital investment and the significant economic impact on our community,” said Jason Hoff, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International. “Equally important is the way this plant has changed the lives of so many people, including the lives of our team members.”

As the workload increases at the Tuscaloosa facility, the size of the workforce will also need to grow. Mercedes-Benz said they will hire a thousand more people to work on the new C-Class next year and an additional 400 for the model expected to roll off the assembly line the following year.

Mercedes-Benz is working with Alabama Industrial Development Training to screen applicants and follow-up with job training.

The Mercedes-Benz plant already makes three models, the M-Class SUV, the GL-Class sports utility, and the R-Class crossover.

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