Powering rural growth.
Rural regions shift into high gear.
Alabama’s rural communities are the backbone of the state’s economic strength, and new investments in these areas are creating transformative opportunities. The auto industry is driving a significant part of that growth. Since 2023, automotive companies launched over a dozen projects across rural Alabama, generating 500 job commitments and over $400 million in new capital investment. The road ahead looks set to bring in even more.
#2
auto-exporting state
1st
U.S. graphite
processing facility
Top 5
national auto producer
$15B+
OEM investment in state
Key Supporting Role
Before 1997, no automobiles were produced in Alabama. Today, the state’s five OEM’s — Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and Mazda — have a combined production capacity of 1.3 million vehicles annually, earning Alabama a Top 5 ranking in the U.S. To make that possible, these automakers rely on vast supplier networks. A significant portion of them located in Alabama’s rural regions are playing a key role in keeping production humming.
Electrifying the future from rural Alabama.
Rural Alabama is playing a starring role in Mercedes-Benz’s plans for electric vehicles. A state-of-the-art battery factory near Woodstock in Bibb County provides high-performance lithium-ion batteries for the electric sport utilities built at Mercedes’ assembly plant just miles away in Tuscaloosa County. At the new facility, batteries are assembled on a production line with 70 workstations at almost 1,000 feet long.
Global investment sparks downhome growth.
It all started with Hyundai in the early 2000s. Since the South Korean automaker launched production in Alabama, its suppliers have become active investors in rural Alabama, launching projects in 2024 alone, valued at $125 million in cities such as Cusseta, Valley, Tuskegee and Shorter. The momentum looks set to continue for years to come.
From the past, graphite for the future.
At a site in the historic “Alabama Graphite Belt,” Westwater Resources is developing the most advanced graphite processing facility project in the United States. Graphite is a key component in EVs, so the company processing facility in Coosa County — a first for the nation — will be pivotal in providing a domestic source for the mineral and moving us toward cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions.
Latest Rural News
Rural, Automotive
Auto supplier Samkee Corp. selects Alabama for its first U.S. plant
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that Samkee Corp., a major South Korean automotive supplier, plans to invest $128 million to open its first U.S. factory in Alabama through a project that will create 170 jobs in Tuskegee and provide an economic boost for Macon County.
February 10, 2023
Rural, Automotive
Mercedes gives first look at electric EQS SUV coming to its Alabama assembly line
April 19, 2022
Rural, Automotive
Mercedes-Benz opens battery factory for Alabama-built electric vehicles
March 15, 2022
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