Touring Alabama's Automobile Factories (Manufactories)
Alabama has become a growing powerhouse in automobile manufacturing in recent years, picking up a Mercedes Benz factory in Tuscaloosa, a Honda factory in Lincoln, and Hyundai built their first state-side factory just south of Montgomery a couple years ago. Without delving deep into politics, low operational costs, largely non-union labor, good river, rail, and over-the-road transportation access, low cost of living, and massive incentive packages have made Alabama (and the southern United States) a very attractive place to build a factory. Honda recently announced that it will be building an new exhaust system factory to supply it's main Alabama plant.
A great feature of these factories (along with their local and regional economic impact) is that they are all available for the public to tour them. I've gathered the relevant information about each tour.
| Mercedes-Benz | Hyundai | Honda | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Vance (Tuscaloosa) | Montgomery | Lincoln (Anniston) |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
| Reservation required | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reservation Method | Phone | Online/Phone | Online |
| Minimum Age | 12 | First graders with parent Third graders with school group | 12 |
| Approximate Tour Length | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Tour Schedule | Tuesday and Thursday 9am and 9:15am (2 tours daily) | Monday-Friday 9am to 4pm Thursdays until 6pm | Tuesday and Thursday 9am and 1pm |
| Photography | No | No | No |
| Gift shop | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Phone | (888) 286-8762 (205) 507-2253 | 334-387-8019 | (None Provided) |
| Link | Tour Info | Tour Info | Tour Info |
This information was gleaned from the manufacturers' websites at the time I wrote this entry. Please verify any information by contacting the factories at their website or by phone before embarking on your trip. You should wear shoes with closed toes and heels as well as long pants (some tours don't allow shorts.)
These tours are great for kids (see "Minimum Age") and adults alike and offer a portal into modern automobile manufacturing processes. The Hyundai plant is a couple years old. The Mercedes-Benz plant recently underwent a multi-year renovation and has resumed tours as of Spring 2007. There is also a large Kia factory currently being built in Georgia at the Alabama-Georgia state line along I-85. I will including relevant information for that factory when it is available.
Tags: factory automotive alabama car manufactory hyundai honda tour automobile mercedes