Montgomery Hyundai plant celebrates 1 million cars built
By Wade Kwon
The Hyundai Sonata 2011, built in Montgomery.
The new Alabama isn’t just football championships and high-gravity beers. The success of auto manufacturing in the state continues to grow despite a worldwide downturn.
Earlier this month, Montgomery’s Hyundai factory rolled out its 1 millionth vehicle. That figure includes 655,496 Sonatas and 344,504 Santa Fe SUVs, or about 600 cars a day, or a car every 2 minutes.
The Korean manufacturer opened the plant in May 2005. For comparison, Mercedes-Benz hit 1 million cars in 2007 after opening in Vance in 1997. Honda hit 1 million in 2006 after opening in Lincoln in 2001.
The plant is already turning out the redesigned 2011 Sonata, due to hit showrooms in January or February at $20,000 each.
