Hyundai Motor said Thursday it will invest $410 million to start production of the Santa Cruz compact sport utility vehicle in the US in 2021.

Facilities will be expanded at its plant in Montgomery, Alabama, along with the deployment of related equipment, with the aim of starting sales in the US and Canada in the same year, it added.



The investment will create 200 new jobs at the plant and an additional 1,000 at local suppliers and logistics companies supporting Hyundai in Montgomery and the River Region, it said.

“Bringing the Santa Cruz to HMMA demonstrates that Hyundai Motor Company is confident our more than 3,000 team members are ready to build a quality crossover for the US market,” said Jin Byung-jin, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.

First introduced as a concept vehicle at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Santa Cruz appears to be designed to target the US market.

Since 2005, Hyundai’s plant in Alabama has produced 4.5 million vehicles for North American markets, according to the company.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)