Fifteen years on, Mercedes' big American gamble is really paying off. Daimler AG's Alabama factory is established and producing more than 100,000 cars a year, mainly for one of the world's biggest and most important car markets. And the M-class luxury 4×4 - the car for which that Tuscaloosa plant was built - is entering its third model cycle. The ML has reached 1.2 million owners since 1997 and is hailed by its maker as the world's most popular luxury 4×4. Having tested the water for the likes of the BMW X5, Volvo XC90 and Audi Q7, it's a more important car than many acknowledge. But arguably more important still are the improvements that Mercedes has made to the M-class over the generations.
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