Elantra and Sonata Supply To Increase by 20,000 with New 3rd Shift Operation at HMMA
 

20,000 on top of 300,000 + may not seem like much but it should be enough to help restock depleted dealership inventory by Christmas.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - April 30, 2012

2012 Hyundai Sonata – A true full sized car starting at $20,895 and rated at a 24/35 mpgUS city/highway when equipped with either the 6-speed MT or AT.

One of our favorite mid-sizes that provides large car room and a choice of drivetrains including the 198 HP direct injected 2.4L, a 274 HP direct injected and turbo charged 2.0L and of course my personal favorite, the 40 mpgUS highway rated Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. All capable of far beyond their EPA rating and can be driven there quite easily ;)

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) earlier today announced plans to add a third shift of production at its Montgomery facility. HMMA will add 877 positions to support the addition of the third shift bringing the total number of jobs created at the plant to more than 3,000. HMMA’s 2012 production capacity will increase by approximately 20,000 units.

HMMA History

On April 2, 2002, Hyundai announced it would construct a $1 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Montgomery, AL. Just 3 years and 6 weeks later, Hyundai officials along with Alabama state and local government representatives together celebrated the grand opening of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.

The 2-million square-foot manufacturing plant resides on 1,744 acres of beautifully manicured land and includes a stamping facility, paint shop, vehicle assembly shop, a two-mile test track and an engine shop. In May 2005, the facility marked the official start of production with its first saleable 2006 Hyundai Sonata.

While HMMA was built with a production capacity of 300,000 vehicles per year, they have been building beyond that level for the past two years due to the popularity of both the Sonata and Elantra which began itself began being assembled at HMMA in October 2010.

Three Shifts at HMMA

The transition to three shifts will begin in September with applications and pre-employment training occurring now through the end of summer. The hiring process will be facilitated by the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT).

With Hyundai sales up over 20 percent last year and strong demand continuing into 2012, the company has just 27 days of inventory on its dealerships lots, the lowest number amongst all auto manufacturers selling within the US. A great stat to be living under but constraints are real with Elantra’s in particular being purchased off the delivery trucks before they even reach the ground. With that, Hyundai’s future sales growth is being hampered due to the ever growing supply constraints. The 20,000 extra units will surely help but 20,000 is not going to be enough if the company’s current and future products continue to grab the public’s imagination thanks to a fair price for more car than its direct competitors are providing.

The announcement of additional U.S. production capacity comes as Hyundai's U.S. sales broke an all-time sales record in March 2012 which is already above the record levels set during 2011.

Re: Elantra and Sonata Supply To Increase by 20,000 with New 3rd Shift Operation at H
 

I went out for a five mile walk earlier and I counted no less than five 2011-12 Elantras in a six block distance. Within the last month or so, even my mother said that she sees a lot of the "Little Hyundai that looks just like yours". And when she notices that many of them on her short in-town errand hopping, you know they're everywhere.

I think the sales explosion caught even Hyundai by surprise, and it doesn't look like demand is cooling off any time soon.

In a recent slideshow I saw on MSN that included the best new car values, both the Sonata and Elantra were in there. The fuel economy and value for the dollar make a strong argument, and the sales numbers prove it.

Re: Elantra and Sonata Supply To Increase by 20,000 with New 3rd Shift Operation at H
 

I'd assumed they were already running at full speed. I guess it's reached the point that low incentives can't make up for lost sales.

Re: Elantra and Sonata Supply To Increase by 20,000 with New 3rd Shift Operation at H
 

Gee this one is hard to figure out. :rolleyes:

Good looking car, Check
Outstanding Warranty, Check
Known for long term reliability, Check
Forty miles per gallon highway, Check
Priced to sell, Check.

Did I miss anything ? :p

Re: Elantra and Sonata Supply To Increase by 20,000 with New 3rd Shift Operation at H
 

Can we marry the Toyota HSD technology and reliability with the Hyundai design engineers? Man, I love the look of the Elantra, and just wish they could compete with the Prius in the hybrid world. Sometimes the more conservative, although loosening recently, design styles of Toyota drive me bonkers. Then, I also realize I can only see the outside of the car when I'm not driving it so who really cares lol.