Hyundai’s New Louisiana Plant Could Spark a Southern Manufacturing Boom

South Korean vehicle giant Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest over $20 billion in the United States, and Louisiana has earned $5 billion of that investment for Hyundai's first American steel mill.

Hyundai Looks To Create A New Rust Belt In The South

The steel mill Hyundai is planning already promises over 1,000 new jobs in Louisiana.

Hyundai's investment in Louisiana could make auto manufacturing a leading industry in the South, something that foreign automakers seem to have been thinking about for a few decades now.

Since 2005 Hyundai has operated a manufacturing plant out of Alabama where they have produced both engines and full vehicles since opening, and more recently Hyundai built a new facility in Georgia where the brand's Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 vehicles have been built for American roads.

For over 20 years now Hyundai has had a hand in the South's vehicle industry, and with billions of dollars being invested into the region it's not hard to believe that Hyundai might see the area as the perfect staging ground for a new American automotive revolution.

Louisiana Lends Hyundai A Hand For Economic Return

Hyundai is also receiving assistance from the Port of South Louisiana so they can build a new dock for the steel mill's shipments. The new still mill will be built in Ascension Parish, south of Baton Rouge.

The State of Louisiana's Economic Development office will also be giving Hyundai an incentive package with a $100 million grant towards the mill's infrastructure.

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Depending on project approvals, the project might not be completed until 2029.

Until the plant has finished construction and jobs are open for applications, the state will still feel the benefit of Hyundai's investment as construction crews are hired, Hyundai executives are moved to Louisiana to oversee construction, and people like managers are hired early to be trained.