Amid an increased demand for SUVs and crossovers, Hyundai will start producing the Santa Fe Sport in a second facility.
The company will take it to its Alabama plant, where it will join the Sonata midsize sedan and the Elantra compact, starting this summer, but the model will also continue its assembly at the West Point facility, in Georgia.
“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. The new production will help us meet the growing demand for one of our most popular products“, said the CEO of Hyundai Motor America, Dave Zuchowski.
The HMMA (Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama) will coordinate retooling, robot programming and other logistical projects to prepare for the arrival of the Santa Fe Sport in the summer of 2016. The facility is capable of assembling 400,000 units annually and it will maintain this number.
Hyundai managed to sell 118,134 units of the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport in 2015, across the nation, a 9.5 percent increase year-over-year.
The cheapest version of the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport has an MSRP of $24,950, with front-wheel drive, and it uses a 2.4-liter GDI four-pot engine with 190hp, returning 20/27 mpg in city/highway.
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