Automakers set massive new production record in right-to-work Alabama

—

January 28, 2015

Mercedes-Benz's plant in Vance, Ala. (Photo: Carol M. Highsmith) — Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Vance, Ala. (Photo: Carol M. Highsmith)

Alabama’s automakers made almost 1 million cars in 2014, setting a new state record.

Between Mercedes in Vance, Hyundai in Montgomery, and Honda in Talladega county, Alabama is currently home to one of the country’s elite auto manufacturing workforces.

Hyundai, which started production in Alabama in 2004, built the most vehicles over the past twelve months with 398,851 Elantra and Sonata sedans.

Honda built 363,419 Odyssey minivans, Pilot SUVs and Acura MDXs.

Mercedes made over 235,000 M-Class and GL sport-utility vehicles, and R-Class and C-Class sedans.

Together, Alabama’s three automakers built 997,270 vehicles, beating the previous record set in 2013 by 80,000.

Records will likely continue to be set in coming years as automobile manufactures re-up their investment in the state. In the fall of 2014, Mercedes announced it was bringing 200 additional jobs to their Alabama plant in 2015, boosting production up to 300,000.

Government officials give lots of credit for the growth in Alabama’s manufacturing sector to the state’s right-to-work status. Foreign companies, particularly Japanese-owned businesses like Honda, weigh right-to-work laws heavily when deciding where to locate operations in the United States.

“Over 70 Japanese companies have chosen to invest capital to operate in Alabama and to employ over 12,000 Alabama workers,” Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield told Yellowhammer in September. “The Japanese business culture places great emphasis on teamwork, quality, dedication and innovation. These Alabama-Japanese companies have found our state to be ideal as a right-to-work state; a state with a supportive governance and regulatory environment; a state whose workforce provides the dedication to quality, teamwork and innovation necessary to meet and exceed customer expectations; which all translates to market growth and success in the North American markets by choosing to locate in Alabama.”

(h/t WSFA)