Despite enjoying a 41 percent increase in demand last year, the Hyundai Elantra sedan will not be able to maintain its sales momentum in 2012 due to extremely tight factory capacity.
“We’re going to sell what we did last year but our growth curve will plateau just because of capacity,” said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America’s executive vice president of national sales.
The Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama plant that builds the Elantra as well as the Sonata car operated 10 percent above capacity last year, churning out 338,000 vehicles according to Automotive News. Despite the limited production capacity (as well as the imminent introduction of the Hyundai Elantra Coupe), Hyundai isn’t rushing to open any new plants in the U.S. because of the detrimental effects rapid expansion can have on vehicle quality.
“One of the concerns is that our current quality systems won’t hold up if they’re forced to accommodate too much production,†said Mike O’Brien, vice president of product planning for Hyundai Motor America.
