Hyundai today announced a new wage structure for its production team members at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia.

HMMA has been producing vehicles in Montgomery, Alabama, since 2005. HMGMA, Hyundai’s EV-dedicated plant in Bryan County, Georgia, is scheduled to begin production in early 2025.

A statement from Hyundai said it will begin a wage strategy in January that will result in U.S. production team member hourly wages increasing 25% by 2028. The company is increasing its wage structure to remain competitive and to recruit and retain top talent.

Team members in Alabama have achieved their production targets this year, including successful preparations to begin production of the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe in January 2024 (which will be shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week) and the Genesis Electrified GV70, which began production at the Montgomery plant earlier this year.

The next-generation Hyundai Santa Fe, which will be on display at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, will be produced at the company’s manufacturing plant in Montgomery. (Hyundai)

At the beginning of 2024, HMMA will have increased pay for production team members by 14% over the last year, including a raise received earlier in 2023. HMMA wage progression to the top rate is already at 30 months (2.5 years) and HMMA provides 25 vacation days to team members with 15 years of service.

The approximately 4,000 production team members at HMMA have consistently performed in areas of quality, safety, utilization, delivery, attendance and other internal metrics HMMA employs to ensure every vehicle meets the company’s standards, Hyundai said.

“We have the best team members in the industry, and we are compensating them accordingly,” said José Muñoz, president and global COO, Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO, Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America. “Hyundai continuously strives to maintain competitive wage and benefits commensurate to industry peers.

“The women and men of HMMA have gone above and beyond the call of duty this year, preparing for the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe, and building the first electric vehicle in our facility, the Genesis Electrified GV70. Internal KPIs (key performance indicators) show the team continues to embrace a continuous improvement mindset, which is evident in how we track quality, safety and efficiency.”

Hyundai this year launched production of the electrified Genesis GV70 SUV at its Montgomery plant. (Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama)

HMMA is investing $290 million to enhance production of Hyundai’s popular sport utility vehicles. HMMA has designated $190 million of the investment for tooling and equipment upgrades to prepare for production of the all-new, fifth-generation Santa Fe.

HMMA first began assembling the Santa Fe in 2006, and this will be the first full model change since 2018. The all-new Santa Fe features an enlarged tailgate and cabin, an interior featuring sustainable materials, and high-tech features including a 12.3-inch panoramic curved display. The new Santa Fe joins Hyundai’s Tucson SUV, the Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle and both the electrified and gas versions of the Genesis GV70 luxury SUV on HMMA’s assembly line.

A recent study by the Center for Automotive Research reveals that Hyundai Motor’s automotive operations contributed $20.1 billion and 190,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in 2021 alone.