'Super Bowl' economic development victory? State to announce auto factory on Bryan megasite

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The search for what an Savannah economic development leader calls a “Super Bowl” economic development project for the Bryan County megasite is over.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to announce a Hyundai Motors assembly plant on the 2,284-acre site late next week, according to people familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly. Hyundai Motors manufactures Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brand vehicles

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News that the state was negotiating a deal with Hyundai Motors to build a factory on the site was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

According to the AJC’s reporting, the manufacturing facility would make electric vehicles and employ as many as 8,500 workers.

Savannah-area economic development officials declined comment. Contacted via text message on Monday morning, before the AJC first reported the story, the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s Trip Tollison wrote, “We don’t comment on speculation.”

SEDA and economic development agencies in Bulloch, Bryan and Effingham counties are part of the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority, which partnered with the state to purchase the Bryan County megasite in 2021 at a cost of $61 million. The property is located along Interstate 16 off the U.S. 280 exit, 23 miles west of downtown Savannah.

At the time the megasite was bought, Tollison said "Having ownership of a site of this size in the hands of a joint development authority means we can market to what we call 'Holy cow' or "Super Bowl' economic development projects.”

Biggest project in Savannah history

Local officials have been engaged on the project for months, prepping the site for development.

According to the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority’s website, connections now include rail service via shortline track and a temporary access road. Industrial utility hookups are located adjacent to the site and a draft wetlands permit has been obtained.

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Aerial view of the Bryan County megasite.
Aerial view of the Bryan County megasite.

A timeline for when construction would start on the plant and when it would open has not been disclosed.

The auto plant would be the largest economic development project in Savannah history and, once opened, one of the largest single employers in the Savannah area. Other large local manufacturers include business jet maker Gulfstream, construction equipment builder JCB and Mitsubishi Power Systems, which produces natural gas-powered turbines.

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Automaker plant would be a long-time coming

Landing a large-scale auto manufacturing facility has long been a priority for Savannah economic development officials.

Twenty years ago, Chrysler announced plans to build a Sprinter van assembly plant in Pooler before abandoning the project due to economic conditions. Other automakers, including Volvo, Mercedes and most recently Rivian, have also explored locating a factory in the area.

Bryan County Megasite
Bryan County Megasite

Rivian considered the Bryan County megasite last year before striking a deal to build closer to Atlanta instead. That plant will build electric-powered trucks on a site along Interstate 20 near Rutledge.

A Savannah plant would be Hyundai Motors’ second in Georgia. The automaker opened a Kia plant in West Point, a small town off Interstate 85 near the Georgia-Alabama border, in 2006.

Hyundai exports much of its Georgia-made vehicles through the Georgia Ports Authority’s facilities in Brunswick and Savannah.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Hyundai Motors nears announcement for Kia auto plant in Bryan County