New Hyundai engine plant in 'Bama will build four-cylinder GEMA engines

Earlier this week Hyundai announced it would be adding an engine plant to its sole U.S. production facility in Montgomery, Alabama. We didn't know at the time exactly what engine the new facility would produce, but in the back of our minds assumed it would be a V6 since the Montgomery plant builds the Sonata and Sante Fe, the latter of which is only available with a six-cylinder.
Turns out we were wrong, as Automotive News is reporting the new plant will build four-cylinder engines instead, about 200,000 to 300,000 annually. Not only that, it will build 2.4L four-cylinder engines, which means that the plant will be the sixth factory in the world to produce engines developed by the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance. GEMA is comprised of DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai, with versions of GEMA four-cylinders currently being produced for vehicles like the Dodge Caliber, upcoming 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer and various Hyundais and Kias like the Sonata and Optima. Of course, the main purpose of Hyundai's new plant will be to supply motors for the Sonata, over 60% of which are ordered with four-cylinders, and feed engines to Kia's new collossal assembly plant currently being built in Georgia.

[Source: Automotive News]