Ikhombisa ukungathí sina ngekusasa likagesi, iMercedes-Benz ihlela ukutshala imali eyizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-1 e-Alabama ukuze ikhiqize izimoto zikagesi.

Ukutshalwa kwezimali kuzoya ekwandiseni imboni ekhona yohlobo oluphambili lwaseJalimane eduze kwase-Tuscaloosa futhi kwakhiwe ifekthri entsha yebhethri engu-1 million-square-foot.

Yize ukuthengiswa kwezimoto zikagesi kushubile sekukonke, abakwaMercedes babukele njengoba uTesla ephuma esengumdlali owesabekayo esigabeni se-super-premium ne-electric Model S sedan kanye ne-Model X crossover. Manje uTesla usongela ingxenye ephansi, esezingeni lokungena yemakethe kanokusho nge-Model 3 sedan yayo enenani eliphansi.

Inkampani iphishekela isu elithi "noma yini uTesla angayenza, singenza kangcono", kusho umhlaziyi weSanford Bernstein uMax Warburton esitatimendeni sakamuva kubatshalizimali. “I-Mercedes iqinisekile ukuthi ingakwazi ukuhambisana nezindleko zebhethri lakwaTesla, inqobe izindleko zayo zokukhiqiza nokuthenga, ikhuphule umkhiqizo ngokushesha futhi ibe nekhwalithi engcono. Iyazethemba nezimoto zayo ukuthi zizohamba kangcono.”

Isinyathelo sikaMercedes siza njengoba abakhiqizi bezimoto abakhulu baseJalimane, okuhlanganisa neVolkswagen kanye neBMW, beqhela ngokushesha ezinjinini zikadizili phakathi nemithetho eqinile yokukhipha umoya emhlabeni.

AbakwaMercedes bathi balindele ukungeza imisebenzi emisha engu-600 endaweni yaseTuscaloosa ngokutshalwa kwezimali okusha. Izokwengeza ukunwetshwa kwesikhungo esimenyezelwe ngo-$1.3 billion ukuze kwengezwe isitolo esisha sokukhiqiza izimoto kanye nokuthuthukisa ezokuthutha kanye nezinhlelo zamakhompiyutha.

"Sikhulisa kakhulu umkhakha wethu wokukhiqiza lapha e-Alabama, ngenkathi sithumela umyalezo ocacile kumakhasimende ethu kulo lonke elase-US nasemhlabeni jikelele: I-Mercedes-Benz izoqhubeka nokuba semaphethelweni okuthuthukiswa nokukhiqizwa kwezimoto zikagesi," kusho uMarkus. Schäfer, isikhulu somkhiqizo wakwaMercedes, esitatimendeni.

Izinhlelo ezintsha zale nkampani zihlanganisa ukukhiqizwa kwe-Alabama kwezinhlobo zikagesi zeSUV ngaphansi kweMercedes EQ nameplate.

Imboni yamabhethri engu-1 million-square foot izotholakala eduze kwemboni yaseTuscaloosa, kusho abakwaMercedes esitatimendeni. Kuzoba umsebenzi wesihlanu we-Daimler emhlabeni wonke onekhono lokukhiqiza ibhethri.

UMercedes uthe uhlela ukuqala ukwakhiwa ngo-2018 futhi aqale ukukhiqiza "ekuqaleni kweshumi leminyaka elizayo." Lesi sinyathelo sihambisana ngokuphelele nohlelo luka-Daimler lokunikeza izimoto ezingaphezu kuka-50 ngohlobo oluthile lwe-hybrid noma i-electric powertrain ngo-2022.

Lesi simemezelo sasiboshelwe emgubhweni weminyaka engu-20 embonini yaseTuscaloosa, eyavulwa ngo-1997. Njengamanje ifektri iqashe abasebenzi abangaphezu kuka-3,700 futhi yenza izimoto ezingaphezu kwezi-310,000 ngonyaka.

Imboni yenza ama-GLE, GLS nama-GLE Coupe SUVs adayiswa e-US nasemhlabeni jikelele futhi yenza i-sedan ye-C-class ukuze idayiswe eNyakatho Melika.

Naphezu kwamanani aphansi kaphethiloli kanye nesabelo semakethe sase-US esingu-0.5% kuphela kuze kube manje kulo nyaka ezimotweni zikagesi, ukutshalwa kwezimali kulesi sigaba kuyashesha ngenxa yezizathu zokulawula nezobuchwepheshe.

Umhlaziyi weSanford Bernstein uMark Newman uveze ukuthi ukwehla kwezindleko zamabhethri kuzokwenza izimoto zikagesi zibe nenani elifanayo nelezimoto zegesi ngo-2021, “okungaphambi kwalokho abaningi abebekulindele.”

Futhi yize abaphathi bakaTrump becubungula ukwehlisa izinga lomnotho kaphethiloli, abakhiqizi bezimoto baphokophele phambili ngezinhlelo zezimoto zikagesi ngoba abalawuli kwezinye izimakethe baphokophela ukunciphisa ukukhishwa kwegesi.

Okuhamba phambili kuzo yiChina, imakethe yezimoto enkulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni. UXin Guobin, iphini likangqongqoshe wezimboni nobuchwepheshe bolwazi eChina, usanda kumemezela ukuvalwa kokukhiqizwa nokudayiswa kwezimoto zegesi eChina kodwa akazange anikeze imininingwane ngesikhathi.