By Dawn Kent -- The Birmingham News
Alabama auto production has risen 19 percent so far this year
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Auto production across Alabama continues to climb this year, with a 19 percent improvement during the first half.
Through June, the state's three auto assembly plants -- Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz -- produced a combined 439,365 vehicles, according to production estimates from the Automotive News Data Center.
In the first half of 2011, the plants produced about 369,000 vehicles. Their performance so far in 2012 puts Alabama on track for a record performance, topping the nearly 750,000 vehicles built during all of last year.
As output increases, so do jobs at the plants. All three automakers are adding employees to keep pace with rebounding demand in the U.S. auto market and to prepare for new models slated for their assembly lines.
The biggest year-over-year growth in production has been seen at Honda's Lincoln factory. Last year, the plant slowed its output dramatically after an earthquake and tsunami in Japan damaged supplier operations, caused a parts shortage and hampered the company's North American manufacturing operations.
This year, there are huge jumps.
For example, through the first six months of this year, output of the Odyssey minivan has risen 56 percent over the same time period in 2011.
For all three models made in Lincoln -- the Odyssey, as well as the Pilot SUV and the Ridgeline pickup -- combined output has risen 48 percent.
More modest growth has been seen at Mercedes and Hyundai.
At Mercedes' Vance plant, for instance, production of the M-Class SUV has risen 9 percent, while output has grown 2 percent for the Hyundai Sonata, built at the automaker's Montgomery factory.