Party report: Mercedes held a big wingding in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this week to celebrate a number of things:5 million vehicles made at its Alabama plant in 30 years $4 billion more to be invested in the state140 years of Mercedes, starting from the first patent for the first automobile in 1886138 years of building cars in the U.S., starting with a partnership with Steinway pianos on Long IslandA freshened GLEA freshened GLSGLS580 with Off-Road packageU.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy spoke. Alabama’s two U.S. senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, spoke. Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban stepped out of an S-class on stage and got a bigger cheer than the polite clapping the politicians got. Benz even brought in the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Marching Band to entertain the gathered masses. (Roll Tide!) Company CEO Ola Källenius waxed nostalgic about his several years spent working for Mercedes in Crimson Tide territory.“I still think of Alabama as home,” he said (Sweet Home?). “It’s overwhelming in the very best way.”Trivia: Why did Mercedes start building cars in the United States 138 years ago? Answer: Tariffs! Well, eventually tariffs. There were a lot of them, such as the Tariff Act of 1890, the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act of 1894, the Dingley Tariff Act of 1897 and so on. Building Benzes on U.S. turf helped skirt those. Some things never change.2027 Mercedes GLE 53While it started with the M-class SUV, the Tuscaloosa plant now makes the GLE, the GLS, the GLE Coupe and the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, as well as the EQE SUV, the EQS SUV and the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. In the future it will also make the GLC. Approximately 60 percent of that production is exported. At the plant’s big celebration, Mercedes rolled out freshened treatments of the GLE and the GLS.Mercedes’ top seller in the U.S. last year was the GLE, with 56,916 moved out showroom doors in 2025. The company says there are 3000 new or revised components on the new 2027 GLE it introduced in Alabama this week. That includes everything from a new grille with a chrome frame and illuminated star on the hood to strengthened chassis and more powerful engines. The SUV gets the newest MB.Drive driver-assistance tech, as well as the latest MB.OS operating system that can be updated over the air (OTA) throughout its lifetime. Additional features include Distance Assist Distronic, or optional MB.Drive Assist and MB.Drive Assist Pro, which offer expanded driver-assistance functions. The “city pro” feature that enables a seamless point-to-point driving experience even in dense city traffic, which we enjoyed during a drive in San Francisco rush-hour traffic last year, will be available on the GLE at a later date.Under the hood, the new V8 in the GLE 580 4Matic gets more peak power—going from 510 to 530 hp—and more peak torque—from 538 to 553 lb-ft. But there is also more output across the rev range. The new engine gets a flat-plane crank, not for that configuration’s increased power output or exhaust note but in order to more easily meet future emissions requirements, Mercedes says. Interiors get the SuperscreenLikewise, the straight-six engine option gets an increase in peak torque to 413 lb-ft, as well as what Mercedes says is a new, more powerful electric auxiliary compressor, a cylinder head with optimized intake and exhaust ports, and a modified intake camshaft.The plug-in hybrid GLE 500e 4Matic gets the above straight-six mated to an electric motor that’ll power the rig on electricity alone for almost 65 miles. The entry level of the GLE line, the GLE 350 4Matic, gets an electric compressor for “enhanced performance and responsiveness,” Mercedes says.The GLE 350 4Matic, the GLE 450 4Matic and the GLE 580 4Matic all get 48-volt starter-generators for extra oomph off the line. They still get the seat controls in the doors.Inside, GLEs get the MBUX Superscreen across the dash, as well as the optional 3-D instrument cluster and the new MBUX augmented reality head-up display.You can also get the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S with 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, aided by a 48-volt mild hybrid that all together will get you from 0 to 60 in just 3.8 seconds, Mercedes says.There’s even a GLE Coupe available, with a stylish swooping roofline. The 2027 GLS, meanwhile, gets many of the same improvements found on the GLE, from the more powerful engines to the new grille and grille surround, as well as extensive star-shaped lighting. Mercedes says the GLS also gets standard cloud-based damper regulation with Airmatic, wherein the vehicle automatically adjusts the damping shortly before encountering a bump. “This makes every journey even more comfortable—especially for second- and third-row passengers,” Mercedes says. “Over longer speed bumps, the GLS glides effortlessly as if it’s floating on air.”The GLS is also available as an AMG GLS 63 4Matic, with 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. We’ll have more information, including pricing, closer to the GLE/GLS launches this summer.