2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Sel on 2040-cars

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Hyundai Sonata sales drop so Santa Fe production will increase

Hyundai will begin production of the five-seat Santa Fe Sport at its Alabama factory this summer to take advantage of the growing popularity of crossovers in comparison to midsize sedans. The company won't release official production targets for the CUV at the plant, but an anonymous company insider told Reuters Hyundai would build around 30,000 of them at the site this year. The Kia factory in Georgia will continue to handle the majority of Santa Fe Sport production, but the Alabama assembly will help Hyundai keep up with demand. The three-row Santa Fe will still come from South Korea. The Alabama factory has a 400,000-unit annual capacity and already produces the Elantra and Sonata. Sonata sales slipped in 2015 to 213,303 deliveries from 216,936 in 2014. Meanwhile, the volume of both body styles of Santa Fe jumped to 118,134 examples in 2015 from 107,906 the previous year. According to Reuters, Hyundai could have sold more of the CUVs last year, but a limited production capacity restricted the sales. Rumors from 2015 suggested that Hyundai might have had an eye on the plant for additional crossover production in case of falling sales for the sedans built there. The Alabama factory last built the Santa Fe in August 2010. "We're thrilled to bring back another pillar of the Hyundai lineup to our production mix here at HMMA," Chris Susock, vice president of production at the plant, said in the announcement. SANTA FE SPORT PRODUCTION WILL BEGIN AT HYUNDAI MOTOR MANUFACTURING ALABAMA IN SUMMER 2016 ID: 44810 • Additional production will support growing demand in the sport utility segment • Alabama plant is the home of the Sonata and Elantra sedans • Plant is capable of assembling 400,000 units per year MONTGOMERY, Ala., January 7, 2016 –Hyundai Motor Company has announced the addition of the Santa Fe Sport to the production schedule at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) starting in the summer of 2016. This change will supplement existing U.S. production of the sport utility vehicle to meet the growing demand in this popular vehicle segment. "We're very happy Hyundai has been able to make this change, which will result in more great Santa Fe crossovers available to our dealers and customers," said Dave Zuchowski, president and 'CEO of Hyundai Motor America. "The new production will help us meet the growing demand for one of our most popular products," said Zuchowski.

2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell

Hyundai leased its first Tucson Fuel Cell crossover last week, which the automaker claims makes it the first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle (FCV) that has been offered to the public (Honda may have something to say about that...). The vehicle, which consumes hydrogen and emits only clean water vapor from its exhaust pipe, will initially only be offered for lease in Los Angeles and Orange Counties - two regions with the greatest density of approved hydrogen stations in the country - at a monthly fee of $499. Since the Tucson FCV rolls down the same Ulsan, Korea, production line as its gasoline-powered relative, production is scalable based on customer demand.
We attended the festivities with the dignitaries and elected officials - clapping until our hands hurt. But once it was over, we grabbed a set of keys and took the new FCV for a half-hour jaunt. According to the press materials, written with a welcomed sense of humor, Hyundai will offer it in three colors: white, white and optional white. Our test model was the latter.
Driving Notes

Hyundai exec admits company studying pickup, no foolin'

Automotive News reports Hyundai may be considering jumping into the US pickup market. Lee In-cheol, ice president of international sales, says the company's product planners and engineers are currently trying to determine what size pickup would be best for our market. Currently, the automaker has no plans to build a truck, but Lee says that hasn't stopped US dealers from asking the company to produce one. The US and South Korea signed a free trade agreement that took effect in 2012 that removes the so-called Chicken Tax from South Korean imports in seven years.
That means that Hyundai or Kia could import a foreign-built truck without incurring the 25 percent tax on the vehicle's value after 2021. Even so, Hyundai isn't committed into jumping into the US full-size pickup market. Instead, the company may build a smaller truck designed to compete in emerging markets.
We've been hearing word about Hyundai's pickup musings for years now, including a rumored partnership with Chrysler to produce Ram-based trucks, but so far, nothing has come of it.