Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), along with dozens of state and local government officials, today broke ground on the company's first U.S. automotive manufacturing plant, to be built on 1,620 acres of land in Montgomery, Alabama. The $1 billion facility, set to begin production in 2005, will produce the next generation of the popular Sonata sedan and Santa Fe sport utility vehicle. At peak production, the facility will employ approximately 2,000 people and produce 300,000 vehicles per year. The site will include a manufacturing and assembly facility, as well as a stamping plant and an engine plant.