Beginning late in September, Hyundai ’s Santa Fe midsize SUV will be assembled alongside the related Kia Sorento at the automaker’s new assembly plant in West Point, Georgia.
Santa Fe production in Georgia will begin on September 27 and a full second shift will commence a few days later on October 1. Hyundai says that a total of 7,000 assembly and related workers will grow out of the current 1,700 that currently work in the region’s booming auto industry once the plant reaches its full capacity.
“Building on the Sorento’s initial success, this new addition to the product line expands (the factory’s) volume and increases our commitment to the U.S. and local economy,†said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America, in a statement released to the media.
The Santa Fe was previously built at Hyundai’s Montgomery, Alabama, assembly plant, which is now adding more Hyundai Sonata capacity.
