Alabama Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA)

Americans are enamored with the SUV these days. The sedan? Well, it seems U.S. drivers are just not into them the way they use...

Officials at the 4.6 million-square-foot Honda Manufacturing of Alabama plant are looking forward to a successful year after hitting production milestones in 2018.

Located in Tuscaloosa County and spanning 700,000 square feet, the facility is owned by Samvardhana Motherson Peguform, an Indian company with operations in 41 countries. The new outfit is called SMP Automotive Systems Alabama.

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), based in Vance, continues to expand its Alabama operation, which manufactures GLS, GLE, GLE Coupe models for distribution worldwide and the C-Class for the North American market.

In August 2018, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama (TMMAL) celebrated the production of its six millionth engine. By the end of 2018, the plant’s annual production was approximately 630,000 engines, roughly 2,600 engines per day.

Last spring, the five millionth engine produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) in Montgomery rolled off the assembly line.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama produced 700,000 engines last year, and according to David Fernandes, president of the facility, the Huntsville plant will likely produce that many in 2018.

In March 2017, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama announced plans for a multi-phase project to expand its plant in Lincoln.

What might have seemed like a gamble on a new region of the country has proved the wise investment it always was.

Expansions lead the growth in Alabama’s automotive sector, and new technologies steer the future of design and worker training.