Hyundai Adds Third Shift at Czech Plant

VIENNA – Hyundai Motor Mfg. Czech adds a third shift at its plant in Nosovice, Czech Republic, two weeks earlier than originally planned.

The auto maker has hired 800 workers for the third shift, while suppliers have added 1,200.

Hyundai boosting CUV output.

Hyundai and suppliers combined employ about 10,000 people in the Nosovice area.

The plant has been producing 66 vehicles an hour and the third shift will start by turning out about 40 units an hour.

With the third shift, the facility will reach its full annual capacity of 300,000 units.

The Nosovice plant produces the Hyundai i30 hatchback, i30cw wagon and B-segment ix20 multipurpose vehicle.

It also builds the ix35 cross/utility vehicle, known as the Tucson in the U.S. Production of the ix35 has not kept up with demand.

“Currently, if we could produce 20% more (vehicles overall), we could sell them,” a Hyundai spokesperson tells Czech TV.

The plant in January will begin serial production the new-generation i30 unveiled earlier this month at the Frankfurt auto show, the spokesperson says.

Production at the Czech factory launched in the fall of 2008, and a second shift was added in September 2009.

The facility manufactured 200,135 vehicles last year.