Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi plan an auto industry partnership

The three deep South states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are joining forces on a new partnership to bolster and promote the automotive industry. The new partnership also brings together the University of Alabama, the University of Georgia and Mississippi State University, along with Southern Company and its three subsidiaries — Alabama Power, Georgia Power and Mississippi Power. The tri-state partnership will be called the Mississippi-Alabama-Georgia Network for Evolving Transportation, or MAGNET. 

Georgia

Hyundai announces expansion of Metaplant that ICE raided in September

Mere weeks after an immigration operation at Hyundai’s largest North American plant in the Savannah, Ga., metro, officials with the South Korean automaker announced a major expansion of the massive complex. 

The raid created headlines around the world as President Trump’s immigration crackdown continued, this time at one of the largest single investments made in the U.S. in the last decade. 

The latest announcement included Hyundai’s additional investment of $2.7 billion to expand its Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) and 3,000 additional jobs. This expansion is in addition to the billions already spent on the unfinished facilities that already ring Southeast Georgia with supplier operations. 

This latest expansion (200,000 more units by 2028) by the Koreans in Georgia seems to be an effort to go the route of BMW’s plant in Upstate South Carolina, where in any given year, 60 to 70 percent of luxury SUVs assembled there are exported. That plant was announced in 1992, and Mercedes-Benz followed with its plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., a year later. Mercedes exports about the same number of cars as BMW each year to locales all over the world. 

Hyundai supplier expanding in Georgia

Sewon America, which operates several facilities in the Southern Automotive Corridor, is investing $50 million to add 100,000 square feet to its plant in Rincon, Ga. The announcement will create 100 jobs. 

Automaker Stellantis investing in new Georgia distribution center

Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) is investing $41 million in a Mopar Parts distribution center in Forsyth, Ga. The company is building a new 442,000-square-foot facility that will house 90 union jobs. 

Rivian picks Atlanta for its new East Coast HQ

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has named Atlanta the site of its East Coast headquarters. Rivian is in the process of constructing its massive, 9 million-square-foot plant near Social Circle after a delay in construction of several months. Rivian announced it would restart its megasite construction after it secured a $6.6 billion loan from the US Department of Energy in late 2024. The manufacturer plans to officially break ground on the site in 2026, and hopes to roll the first vehicles off the assembly line in 2028.

Kentucky

Ford announces $2 billion commitment to secure 2,200 jobs in Kentucky

Gov. Andy Beshear joined Ford Motor’s CEO Jim Farley,
other company executives and local officials to announce a monumental investment by one of Kentucky’s largest employers — a nearly $2 billion commitment that will introduce an innovative manufacturing process at the Louisville Assembly Plant to serve as the platform for an all-new, yet to be unveiled, electric mid-size pickup truck. 

The project is the third-largest economic development project in Kentucky’s history, as four of the five largest private-sector investments have now been announced during the Beshear Administration.

The new low-cost, scalable EV platform is expected to be completed by Q2 2027.

Ford’s presence in Kentucky dates back to 1913 when the Model T first rolled off the production line in Louisville. In the 112 years since, the company has grown its presence in the commonwealth to employ nearly 12,000 people in addition to nearly 6,000 retirees. 

Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems to expand in Simpson County, Ky. 

Auto supplier Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems announced a $17 million expansion of its Simpson County facility that will create 76 new full-time jobs.

Louisiana

South Korean defense and automotive player selects Louisiana

South Korea-based SNT Motiv and SNT Energy are investing $59 million to establish the companies’ first U.S. consolidated facility at the former Trinity Marine building in West Baton Rouge Parish. The announcement accounts for the generation of 275 jobs. 

North Carolina

Automotive supplier to invest $51 million in rural North Carolina

TMG & Haartz Solutions is establishing a new footprint in Bostic, N.C. The $51 million announcement will create 125 jobs. 

Japanese auto supplier is building in Charlotte

Asahi Kasei is investing in a new coating facility in Charlotte to supply Toyota Tsusho America with lithium-ion battery separators for Toyota’s battery plant in Randolph County, N.C. 

South Carolina

Scout Motors injecting more money into South Carolina EV plant

According to Carbuzz.com, Scout Motors is investing even more than its initial $2 billion into its assembly plant under construction in Blythewood, S.C. The Scout brand was originally the first true four-wheel SUV made by International Harvester. This new version will see the assembly of the Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck. Scott Keogh, formerly the head of VW of America, said that another $300 million is being invested in the 1,600-acre complex that will include a large supplier park. The automaker is shooting for 4,000 jobs at some point with an expected production date in 2027. 

ZF Chassis expanding in automotive-rich Spartanburg County

ZF Chassis Systems, a major automotive supplier, is expanding its plant in Spartanburg County, home to BMW’s largest plant. The expansion is significant, as the company is adding nearly 500,000 square feet of space. The deal will create 30 jobs. 

Groundbreaking held for new Isuzu plant in South Carolina

On October 1, 2025, Isuzu North America held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 1 million-square-foot production facility in Piedmont, S.C. The facility represents a $280 million investment and will assemble medium-duty trucks, including the N-Series Gas, N-Series Electric and F-Series trucks. The plant is expected to go online in 2028, when it will house 700 workers according to press releases. 

Tennessee

Uh, oh! Ford Motors extends production date of its Memphis area plant 

Ford officials in the summer quarter announced that full production at its BlueOval City plant near Memphis and Jackson, Tenn., will be delayed again. The battery plant and full assembly facility for the F-150 pickup truck model has already been delayed once. It should be noted that both foreign and domestic automakers are losing billions as a direct result of President Trump’s tariffs. Ford CEO Jim Farley said at the delay announcement that the West Tennessee campus is a “linchpin” for the automaker’s future plans. 

MAHLE GmbH investing $10 million in Morristown

Germany-based automotive supplier MAHLE GmbH is expanding its factory in Hamblen County to produce electric compressors used on fuel cell electric vehicles. The company will add 50 jobs to the 750 that are housed there now.