Kentucky says Hyundai to pick plant site by April 1

March 18, 2002 BLOOMBERG NEWS has reported that Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, will probably decide by the end of March whether to build its first U.S. plant in Alabama or Kentucky, the Kentucky governor's office said.

"Hyundai officials have told the governor that a decision should be made by the end of March or April first," said Terri Giltner, a spokeswoman for Kentucky Governor Paul Patton.

Hyundai said last month it's evaluating sites in Montgomery, Alabama, and Glendale, Kentucky. A spokeswoman for Alabama Governor Don Siegelman declined to say if Alabama officials were told to expect a decision by the end of March.

The Seoul-based company wants a U.S. plant to expand its share of the largest auto market, where its sales increased 42 percent last year. Hyundai, which imports all the cars and light trucks it sells in the U.S., has indicated it may invest as much as $1 billion in a plant that could build 300,000 autos annually and employ 2,000 workers.

Chris Hosford, Hyundai's U.S. spokesman, said he had no information on when a decision would be made. Hyundai's U.S. operations are based in Fountain Valley, California.