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Mercedes-Benz North America has signed a lease on a space that will become its new research and development center in West Midtown, making good on a commitment to bringing a new tech hub as part of an ongoing consolidation into metro Atlanta.
The German automaker moved from its U.S. headquarters from New Jersey to Sandy Springs in 2018.
The success of the move prompted an announcement in May that the company would relocate another 500 employees here, mainly corporate and finance roles from Michigan, to create a base for the entire North American region.
At the time, it teased a separate innovation center that it would locate near the Sandy Springs mothership, noting how important universities like Georgia Tech have been to the company’s growth. Building relationships with emerging mobility startups would also be a key objective.
This week, the company confirmed that it had signed a lease on a 60,000-square-foot space at Northyards, originally a Southern Railway train maintenance facility built in 1925. The historic six-building complex, which includes a 1911 roundhouse, was converted into creative office space in the early 2000s.
Mercedes-Benz says it will spend $34 million on a buildout to be managed by North Avenue Partners and designed by Goree + Abel architects. The space is set to open by summer 2026.
“Finding the home for our new Mercedes-Benz Atlanta Technology Center in midtown Atlanta is a major milestone in establishing our unified North American headquarters, a $34 million investment in the region,” Jason Hoff, CEO at Mercedes-Benz North America, said in a statement provided to Global Atlanta. “We’re grateful to our state, local and business partners for helping us create this new facility, and we look forward to welcoming even more talented team members to this world-class city, to further our growth and commitment to the U.S. market together.”
The state of Georgia also welcomed the news, noting how woven into the fabric of the state’s business community Mercedes-Benz has become, especially given its naming rights of the stadium serving the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.
“Companies that bring their U.S. operations to Georgia gain access to world-class talent and innovative ecosystems while keeping teams close to fuel collaboration,” Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson said in a statement.
Mercedes-Benz will bring 160 people to the new technical center, a mix of local hires and relocated team members. These jobs are part of the original 500 announced in May.
Partners Real Estate announced the transaction on Oct. 22, with leaders from the firm saying it showed how corporate leaders are demanding space with “both unique character and cutting-edge technology.”
Read more here on Mercedes-Benz’s first stab at an innovation center in Atlanta.
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