The Mercedes-Benz dealership planned for Irondale will have something other dealerships don't have--a direct connection to Alabama head football coach Nick Saban.

"My partner and I have entered into a letter agreement with Mercedes Benz to open a new dealership in Irondale. We are honored to join the Mercedes family and are extremely excited about the benefits this dealership will bring to the citizens of Birmingham, Irondale and surrounding areas," Saban said in a statement via his attorney to AL.com. While Saban probably won't have time to run it, partner Joe Agresti has said that Saban could appear in television ads for the dealership as well as give motivational talks to the 75 expected employees.
According to a news report, the new business will not be known as "Nick Saban Mercedes-Benz," because the company doesn't allow it.
The dealership, as reported in December, is expected to bring in significant revenue for the city of Irondale. Saban's long-rumored partnership in the dealership was confirmed Monday.
For the time being, the dealership plans are on hold because of a lawsuit filed by Hoover's Crown Automobile against Mercedes-Benz USA claiming that a second dealership in the area would harm its business. Mercedes-Benz USA has said that it is within its rights to open another dealership in the area.