Richard Cortez, the Mayor of McAllen, Texas, called a news conference earlier this week to announce that city officials were in talks with an unnamed automaker to build a new manufacturing facility in the Rio Grande Valley. Interestingly enough, he gave few other details as he was worried about upsetting the "customer" as they have asked for silence on the project. Not to surprise anyone, but all signs are pointing at Hyundai Motor Company.
The Mayor has good reason to keep his mouth shut. Just two years ago, the South Korean automaker was in talks with local area officials about a similar project. Those plans fell through when early media leaks identified Hyundai as the potential automaker, and they chose West Point, Georgia, instead. (You are probably asking yourself, as we are, why would the Mayor call a news conference about this in the first place...)
Regardless, analysts say the Rio Grande Valley would be a good fit for Hyundai. The location is close to Mexico, so components could be assembled on the other side of the border and shipped to the United States for final assembly. If Hyundai chooses Texas for their new plant it would be their fourth facility in the United States following plants in Alabama, Georgia, and California. That is, if the Mayor can keep a secret. Thanks for the tip iSpec!
[Source: The Monitor]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sw @ May 11th 2008 12:46PM
I think in order to qualify to be a politician at any level, you have to be hit twice on the head with a shovel. Why wouldn't he keep his mouth shut? Now once again, all the jobs that could potentially be there are put in jeopardy.
Kristovar @ May 11th 2008 12:54PM
Maybe it's a distraction and it's actually going to be GM's new plant to escape from the UAW.
JimG @ May 11th 2008 12:57PM
Huh?
The West Point, GA plant is a Kia plant, if I'm not mistaken. At least it was the last time I drove by the site. Hyundai does have a plant in AL, near Montgomery.
BigWill @ May 11th 2008 1:12PM
True, but Hyundai owns Kia (they bought it after Kia went bankrupt in 1997). Also, in light of Hyundai's new strategy regarding trucks, the Georgia Kia plant will probably end up producing Hyundai cars.
RSR @ May 11th 2008 1:13PM
Kia is owned by Hyundai.
Aprime @ May 11th 2008 1:23PM
Because the Korean government at the time forced them to.
BigWill @ May 11th 2008 1:21PM
Let's see ... the "customer" has "asked for silence on the project" so the genius mayor calls a news conference to say the customer wants silence on the project.
Yet another poster child for the incompetent crap that passes for leadership in our country. Want to bet he's going to be reelected by a comfortable margin?
Jim Graziano @ May 11th 2008 1:28PM
Hyundai owns Kia. Forgot about that little fact.
iSpec @ May 11th 2008 2:03PM
Hyundai has a 38% stake in Kia.
Hyundai/Kia has a test track/proving ground and cooperative technical center in Michigan and California and a design studio in Fountain Valley.
THEY DO NOT HAVE A PLANT IN CALIFORNIA!
The Kia plant will produce C-segment cars or the new Sorento in Georgia.
'seven new products are coming down the Hyundai pipeline for the U.S. market over the next two and a half years, and two of them are all-new models, not simply replacements for existing vehicles' - Dr.Dong -Jin Kim Hyundai Motor CEO and Chair
Mauricio @ May 11th 2008 9:16PM
There is a spanish proverb for Mr. Cortez regarding talk too much ...talking too much can be perilous; silence is golden: por la boca muere el pez ... lit.: the fish dies by its mouth.
garth @ May 11th 2008 9:30PM
A good example of NAFTA working at it's finest.
XJ @ May 12th 2008 12:07PM
If it is a new Hyundai plant I suspect it will be manufacturing Hyundai's RWD platform cars (after a year or two of importing them from Korea). The Alabama plant says it has room for another platform -- perhaps the new FWD sports car, if and when Hyundai or Kia decides to produce them?