Via: Autonews (sub.req)
Hyundai Idles Sonata Production Due To Poor Sales
Chrysler LLC isn’t the only automaker halting production in its U.S. plants (see here), so is Hyundai who closed its Montgomery assembly plant in Alabama on Friday, Oct.6 in an attempt to reduce its inventory of unsold Sonata sedans. Hyundai’s spokesman Robert Burns said that the plant, which also produces the Santa Fe SUV, will close again on Friday, Oct. 12 and 19. Sales of the Sonata in the States were down 19.6 percent the first nine months of the year (Jan. to Sept) compared to the same period in 2006. In September, Hyundai sold 6,500 units of the Sonata, compared with 8,870 in September ‘06.