For over a year now both the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra have been selling like proverbial hotcakes, with dealers across the country complaining they could sell more cars if they could get them. A local dealer is reportedly selling the vehicles right off the truck as they are being delivered.
Autoworkers at Hyundai's plant in Alabama were already working overtime schedules to try to keep up with demand, but earlier this week came the announcement that the plant will add a third shift and hire an additional 877 workers. The new jobs will bring total employment at the plant to more than 3,000 and add 20,000 vehicles to its 2012 capacity. The additional jobs at the Hyundai plant also are expected to create new jobs at area suppliers.Some are saying this is just a short term solution and that if Hyundai continues on the same path with growth in sales they will need to address the issue of building a second North American assembly plant. Time will tell. But for now dealers will surely welcome the added inventory.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC (HMMA) began producing the newly redesigned Sonata in December 2009, and the sedan has consistently been Hyundai’s best-selling vehicle. The Alabama-built Sonata represents 33 percent of Hyundai’s U.S. sales. The newly redesigned Elantra has been assembled at HMMA since October 2010 and, together with production from Korea, represents 31 percent of Hyundai’s U.S. sales. Canadian sales of the Sonata and Elantra account for more than 14 percent of HMMA’s annual production.Hyundai Motor America sales were up 20 percent during 2011. The announcement of additional U.S. production capacity comes as Hyundai’s U.S. sales broke an all-time sales record in March 2012. Through March 2012, sales of the Sonata and Elantra sedans have already seen year-over-year sales increase of six percent and eight percent, respectively, which is above the record levels set during 2011.
Source: Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama
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