September 04, 2012
By Dawn Kent -- The Birmingham News
U.S. sales of vehicles built in Alabama rose 14 percent in August, led by strong growth for the Honda Odyssey minivan and the Hyundai Elantra compact.
Last month's combined sales of the eight models assembled in the state totaled 65,671, compared to 57,629 in August 2011, according to automaker reports issued today.
Sales of the Odyssey were 12,750, up 61 percent from a year ago, while sales of the Elantra increased 19.5 percent to 17,989.
Here's a look at how the products of each individual plant fared in August:
Honda: Besides the Odyssey, the Japanese automaker also builds the Pilot SUV and the Ridgeline pickup at its Talladega County factory.
Sales of the Pilot grew 8 percent to 10,610, while sales of the Ridgeline, a niche model, surged 329.4 percent to 919.
Honda's overall sales totaled 131,321 vehicles, up 59.5 percent from a year ago.
Hyundai: Along with the Elantra, the Korean company produces the Sonata sedan in Montgomery.
Sonata sales fell 5 percent this month as Hyundai sold 19,624 of the sedans. Officials with the automaker have cited tight inventory levels and said the new third shift at the Alabama factory, which kicks off today, should help address the issue.
Across its model lines, Hyundai sold 61,099 vehicles in the U.S. last month, a 4.4 percent improvement from August 2011.
Mercedes-Benz: Of the three models built at the German automaker's Tuscaloosa County plant, only the M-Class SUV showed an improvement in August.
Mercedes said it sold 2,243 M-Class vehicles last month, up 2.4 percent from a year ago.
Meanwhile, sales of the GL-Class full-sized SUV dropped 12 percent to 1,522, while sales of the R-Class crossover fell 53 percent to 14. Mercedes is discontinuing R-Class sales in the U.S., but the Alabama factory will continue to build it for foreign markets.
A total of 20,557 Mercedes-brand vehicles were sold in the U.S. last month, up 11 percent from August 2011.