Hyundai, perhaps the fastest-growing automaker in the world right now, has announced that it will increase production at its Montgomery, Alabama, factory in an effort to keep up with the increased demand for their fuel-efficient vehicles.
The South Korean automaker has seen sales rise sharply as of late. According to Bloomberg, sales were up 29 percent in May for Hyundai, while the company's Kia brand rose a whopping 45 percent. At a time when it seems the entire nation is looking for affordable and fuel-efficient vehicles, Hyundai has the kind of product lineup that people are after right now.
Now, the automaker is increasing production just to keep up with demand. The Montgomery plant makes the popular Sonata and Elantra models, and Hyundai is adding overtime and weekend shifts to increase capacity. They're also ramping up production of the Accent, which is made in South Korea.
"We’ve now been able to secure production capacity to safely say that we will surpass 600,000 units," Mike O'Brien, Hyundai's VP of corporate planning, told Bloomberg.
With Japanese automakers still reeling from the effects of the earthquake, it appears that Hyundai has stepped in to fill the void - something that will likely pay off for the company in the long run.