Lawmaker: DaimlerChrysler AG may build plant in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - Florida state Representative Mike Hogan says DaimlerChrysler AG may build a cargo van assembly plant in Jacksonville, possibly creating thousands of jobs. <br> <br> The Jacksonville Republican said Thursday that the German-American automaker is looking at the Cecil Commerce Center as a potential site for the factory. The center is in Hogan&#39;s district. <br> <br> The Florida Times-Union newspaper in Jacksonville reported in Friday&#39;s editions that Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina are also competing for the plant. <br> <br> The company said it wants to expand production of its Sprinter cargo vans, but hasn&#39;t determined whether to do so in the United States or in Dusseldorf, Germany, where the vans&#39; parts originate now. <br> <br> Spokesman Trevor Hale declined to comment on the locations or terms for a possible plant. <br> <br> Jacksonville competed for another DaimlerChrysler deal in 1993 when it tried to be the home of the first U.S.-based Mercedes-Benz assembly plant. The city lost that bid to Vance, Alabama.