Charlotte continued to attract companies from around the world in 2025
While big cities like New York and Los Angeles have long dominated the spotlight as global business hubs, Charlotte is carving out a reputation as a premier international magnet as well.
In 2025, state and regional officials welcomed a diverse wave of overseas businesses spanning the automotive, energy, aviation and medical tech sectors. Driven by economic incentives, these moves promise high-paying jobs and a significant long-term boost to the local economy.
Here are some of the foreign companies and affiliated U.S. businesses in the spotlight this past year in Charlotte:
Motoring into Plaza Midwood
Germany-based Volkswagen’s Scout Motors selected Charlotte for its new corporate headquarters, making a $207 million investment in the American subsidiary. The move is expected to create more than 1,200 jobs over a five-year period, as announced by the company and state officials in November.
This is the largest job creation announcement for the city in the past decade, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. The Charlotte headquarters at the Commonwealth development in Plaza Midwood will house executives, research and development, finance, IT, sales, marketing and other corporate functions.
The state also awarded the company a job development grant worth up to $46.5 million if hiring and investment targets are met.
Scout Motors has already made a significant footprint in the Carolinas.
In 2023, the company revealed plans to invest $2 billion in an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Richland County, near Columbia, which is expected to create 4,000 jobs. The state awarded the company $1.3 billion in incentives to support the project. Production at the South Carolina facility is slated to start in 2027.
The Scout vehicle was originally produced by International Harvester between 1961 and 1980. As the world’s first vehicle engineered for both off-road and family transportation, it was known for durability and versatility.
In 2022, Volkswagen launched Scout Motors, a new venture dedicated to reviving the Scout name with a lineup of all-electric trucks and SUVs.
Charlotte’s new center for med-tech
In late September, German medical technology leader Siemens Healthineers launched its first U.S.-based Experience Center at The Pearl, a $1.5 billion mixed-use innovation district.
Joining them at The Pearl is IRCAD, a French subsidiary of Atrium Health specializing in advanced surgical techniques. In November, IRCAD opened its North American headquarters at the site. While the organization has six training centers globally, the Charlotte location is its first in North America.
The Pearl is anchored by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine — the city’s first four-year medical school.
Dollars, diesel and Daimler
Daimler Truck North America’s financial lending division, part of Germany-based Daimler Truck Holding AG, is investing $7.8 million to move its headquarters to south Charlotte.
This move is expected to create 276 local jobs. Daimler Truck Financial Services USA will consolidate its Michigan and Texas offices into a 60,000-square-foot facility in Ballantyne, in the Boyle Building at 13034 Ballantyne Corporate Place. The office will house administrative, HR and financial operations.
With over 500 employees, Daimler Truck Financial Services USA provides financing and leasing for commercial vehicle customers throughout North America. Daimler Truck North America produces and markets trucks, school buses, and related technologies under brands such as Freightliner, Western Star, and Thomas Built Buses.
Maersk sets sail for Charlotte
The U.S. subsidiary of Maersk, the giant Danish shipping and logistics company, is planning to move its headquarters to Charlotte and bring 520 jobs to the region by the end of 2028. Maersk’s U.S. headquarters is currently in northern New Jersey, near New York City.
Maersk has about 100,000 employees in over 130 countries, including around 670 in Mecklenburg County.
The cost of the expansion is $16 million, the Observer reported in November.
Charlotte has played a significant role in Maersk’s operations for over 20 years, with the company acquiring its current South Charlotte location in 2006. Maersk’s new Charlotte headquarters will house corporate departments such as finance, human resources, strategy and technology.
Maersk Agency USA was awarded a job development investment grant by North Carolina during an Economic Investment Committee meeting in November.
Using a formula with new tax revenues generated by the new jobs and capital investment, the grant has potential reimbursement to the company up to $7.9 million over 12 years. And with the new job additions, Maersk’s local workforce will grow to more than 1,300 employees over the next several years.
German tech firm embraces the Carolinas
Smaller specialized firms are also choosing the Queen City.
That includes German software and AI company WSCAD, which opened its first U.S. office in the SouthPark area. It will serve as the company’s U.S. headquarters. WSCAD currently employs several people with plans to bring on about three to five more workers.
WSCAD, a software provider for manufacturers, panel builders, and engineering firms, selected Charlotte after considering multiple cities. The choice was influenced by Charlotte’s cost of living and its proximity to a rapidly expanding community of machine builders and potential clients throughout the Carolinas.
Canadian manufacturing hits Steele Creek
AVL USA Inc., a new company established by AVL Manufacturing based in Hamilton, Ontario, announced plans in May to build enclosures for industrial power generators in Charlotte.
The Canadian company is planning to invest $56 million to build its first U.S. production facility in the Steele Creek community. This will create 325 jobs in the region.
AVL specializes in producing custom industrial enclosures for large-format standby generators that provide backup power to major and hyper-scale data centers.
Beyond data centers, AVL’s products are also utilized in other sectors, including automotive, automation, construction, and emergency management.
Flying nonstop from Charlotte to the Middle East
Expanding Charlotte’s global connectivity in the skies, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways announced it will begin nonstop service between Charlotte and Zayed International Airport on March 23. This 14-hour route marks the airline’s first connection to North Carolina.
Etihad partners with a number of airlines, including American Airlines, which handles about 90% of flights departing from CLT. Additional partners listed on Etihad’s website include JetBlue, Air Canada, and Air France.
The company was founded in 2003 and is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Etihad offers service to destinations throughout the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and U.S. cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and New York.
“All the ingredients are there for us to provide service to our future customers,” Neves told The Charlotte Observer in an exclusive 2025 interview. “We believe it’s a city that deserves this and more.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte continued to attract companies from around the world in 2025."
