Mercedes-Benz's U.S. production hub is getting a new chief.
Michael Göbel will replace Jason Hoff as CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Vance, Ala., according to a statement Wednesday. The plant makes the C-class sedan, GLE crossover and GLS SUV.
Hoff, who has led the plant since 2013, has been promoted to chief of quality management for Mercedes-Benz Cars.
The management changes, effective July 1, come as the plant undergoes a $1 billion investment to build EQ electrified vehicles and their battery packs.
Vance is one of six factories to produce EQ vehicles and eight plants to manufacture batteries as parent Daimler makes the shift to electrification.
By 2022, Daimler plans to electrify its entire passenger vehicle lineup, offering more than 50 battery-electrics, plug-in hybrids and 48-volt mild hybrids in all sizes and segments. The EQC will come off the line in Bremen, Germany, in 2019.
Göbel's new assignment is a homecoming of sorts. In 2008, he was planning chief at the Vance plant.
Göbel began his career at Daimler in 1990 at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Mannheim, Germany, before moving to Rastatt in 1994. From 1998 to 2007, he held various management positions in production, planning and logistics at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, most recently as head of assembly.
In his new role as head of quality management, Hoff will be closely associated with Mercedes-Benz Cars production plants worldwide. Before his stint in Alabama, Hoff was responsible for procurement of interior components for the Mercedes-Benz C-class and E-class sedans in Stuttgart.
