Big, new and unexpected automotive projects still rolling in the Southern Automotive Corridor

Following the Scout Motors announcement last year of its plant to reintroduce what amounted to the first SUV built in history near Columbia, Isuzu has selected Greenville County, S.C., to establish its new U.S. production base. A supplier of commercial vehicles, Isuzu’s $280 million investment will create more than 700 new jobs. A subsidiary of Isuzu Motors Limited, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, Isuzu supplies commercial vehicles for the United States and Canadian markets. 

Isuzu trucks entered the North American truck market in 1984, and the company sold 44,000 units in the last fiscal year, its highest total ever. Isuzu has purchased a 1 million-square-foot facility, on over 200 acres of land on Augusta Road in Greenville County, which it is converting into a state-of-the-art assembly plant to expand Isuzu’s vehicle supply capabilities in North America.

The new plant will include a variable-model, variable-volume production line that produces both internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles. When completed, the plant will produce the company’s N-Series Gas, N-Series Electric and F-Series Diesel trucks, and will have a production capacity of 50,000 units annually.

REGIONAL

Failures from the surge in next-generation clean mobility investments are mounting up

The failed Freyr Battery project in Coweta County, Ga., might turn out well for both parties. Norwegian battery company Freyr announced plans to build a $2.6 billion battery factory in Coweta County, Ga., in November 2022. However, in February 2025, Freyr announced that it was canceling the project and is putting up for sale a large swath (368 acres) of woodlands it owns. 

The property sale in Coweta County could garner $50 million. The company will use part of that to pay back about $27 million it has already received in incentives for the project. The property is at Interstate 85 and Bethlehem Church Road, south of the Newnan-Coweta County Airport. Freyr was set to receive a total of $358 million in grants and incentives for its clean energy tech project.

ALABAMA

Hyundai opens new care center for 4,000 team members in Montgomery

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) celebrated the grand opening of its new Care Center in the winter quarter. The $14 million facility is designed to enhance the health, wealth and well-being of its 4,000 team members. 

Located at a new central site on the southwest corner of the general assembly building on the HMMA campus, the automaker said the Care Center represents its commitment to its Alabama workforce. 

Said Chris Susock, HMMA’s President and CEO, “This new facility is more than just a place for enhanced medical services. It’s a resource for wellness, fitness, physical therapy, fire prevention and emergency response. It’s why we are calling it our Care Center.”

GEORGIA

Hydrogen fuel and equipment supplier to invest $33 million for new facility in Savannah

HydroFleet announced it will build a production and fueling station for heavy-duty trucks in Pooler, Ga., near the Port of Savannah and Hyundai’s massive new plant there. HydroFleet’s facility will be able to refuel about seven to 14 trucks a day. The company plans to eventually expand this to 50 trucks a day. HydroFleet provides fleet solutions including forklifts and heavy-duty trucks, such as Hyundai Class 7 and 8 trucks, and hydrogen-powered charging.

Rivian’s federal loan for $6 billion hangs in the balance

A nearly $6 billion federal loan, granted under the Biden administration, should help Rivian restart construction on a $5 billion, 7,500-job project east of Atlanta in Covington. Rivian’s announcement, while precarious at best since its stock has tanked, represented the largest development project by value in Georgia history. 

KENTUCKY

Toyota to build $922 million advanced paint facility at its plant in Georgetown

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) announced in the winter quarter it will build a new advanced paint facility at its massive assembly plant in Georgetown, Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear said, “Kentucky and Toyota have formed a winning partnership over the last 40 years that has been transformational for families throughout the
commonwealth.” 

The new $922 million facility will add 1 million square feet of capacity while decreasing carbon emissions by 30 percent. The project, scheduled to open in 2027, follows a $1.3 billion investment announced in 2024 at the Georgetown site to bring assembly of an all-new, three-row electric SUV to the U.S. market in 2026. Both plants directly support Toyota’s goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing announces largest project in Shelby County history

In the winter quarter, Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing announced the largest project in Shelby County (Louisville MSA) history in the form of a state-or-the-art, 6-gigawatt-hour battery cell and module plant in an existing 1 million-square-foot building in Shelbyville. The $712 million plant will house almost 1,600 new workers. 

Murakami Manufacturing expanding in Kentucky

Murakami Manufacturing USA, a supplier of side-view exterior mirrors and automotive components, has announced plans to expand the company’s operation in Taylor County with a $3.4 million investment. 

NORTH CAROLINA

Toyota is close to opening its $14 billion North Carolina battery plant

Toyota’s third-quarter financial report, provided by Chief Financial Officer Yoichi Miyazaki, showed that the Japanese automaker expects to open its battery plant in Randolph County, N.C., by the summer quarter. The 5,000-employee plant is Toyota’s 11th manufacturing site in the United States and the first to make batteries for hybrid, plug-in hybrids, and battery all-electric vehicles in the United States, Miyazaki
 noted.

TENNESSEE

Tracking Ford’s EV sales prior to its opening of BlueOval near Memphis

The West Tennessee Ford plant being built near a site between Memphis and Jackson, Tenn., is still two years away from opening. So, since electric pickups will be assembled there along with battery manufacturing, where are Ford’s EV sales prior to BlueOval City’s opening? 

Ford electric vehicle (EV) sales got off to a strong start in 2025, continuing to improve year over year after a record 2024. The Michigan-based behemoth sold more than 5,600 EVs in January 2025, a 24 percent increase from the same month a year prior. The company also sold more than 13,000 hybrid vehicles, a 19 percent jump YOY. Ford classes EVs and hybrids as “electrified” vehicles. 

The numbers show that within two years, the Ford plant will have plenty of demand from consumers. Blue Oval SK’s Kentucky One plant should come online this year, and its Tennessee facility is scheduled to come online near the end of this year. Those facilities are expected to significantly increase Ford’s EV production capacity.