The Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama plant in Montgomery is currently producing new automobiles to the fullest extent of its capabilities, and a top executive says it may need to expand.

A Bloomberg News report out Thursday reveals that the facility is running three full shifts for a production total of around 400,000 units. The plant assembles the Sonata and Elantra model sedans as well as the Santa Fe model SUV.

Jose Munoz, Hyundai’s highest ranking executive in North America, told Bloomberg, “At some point we will have to discuss about potentially increasing capacity.”

Bloomberg’s report further says, “He didn’t provide any details, but this could mean more expansion at the Alabama factory or even building a new plant.”

A previously announced $410 million expansion of the Montgomery plant that will allow it to produce a pickup truck model called the Santa Cruz is already underway, with a goal of completion in 2021.

Munoz told Bloomberg that Hyundai’s bestselling units in North America are the SUV models, which made up 67% of the company’s American sales in July.

The news out of the Montgomery plant comes as a bright spot in a cloudy time for automobile manufacturers. Sales are down year over year due to a myriad of effects rooted in the coronavirus pandemic.

“While we see some recovery, we don’t see a full recovery,” Munoz told Bloomberg about the state of the industry as a whole.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95