MISHAWAKA — Last August, executives with Mercedes-Benz were visiting AM General‘s Commercial Assembly Plant in Mishawaka, asking themselves if northern Indiana and AM General were a good fit for the luxury vehicle brand.

Barely a year after that visit, the white-gloved hands of workers polished away final flaws from the sleek, black exterior of a Mercedes-Benz R-Class — the Mercedes vehicle now in full production and being made exclusively by AM General.

Mercedes and AM General executives, elected officials and invited guests gathered in Mishawaka to celebrate the launch of the vehicle in Mishawaka. AM General announced in January that the German-based luxury vehicle producer would be moving its R-Class manufacturing from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Indiana.

It was AM General's ability to adapt quickly, like retooling its plant to build a new car, and the longstanding reputation of the company's workforce that made the company an ideal partner, Hoff said. This makes AM General the first and only U.S. company to be contracted to produce Mercedes vehicles. The deal runs for multiple years, but for competitive reasons, executives would not say the exact length of the contract or how many total units will be produced.

AM General does expect more than 200 jobs to be created at the plant, though, with many of the new employees having already been hired. It's because of the hardworking employees at AM General that the deal with Mercedes was possible, said Gov. Mike Pence. The deal also is a statement about the business environment of Indiana and should be seen as a source of encouragement across the state, he said.