Could protesters fighting Alabama’s immigration law be planning protests at Hyundai dealerships around the country to pressure the company into opposing the immigration law?
The vice president of national sales at Hyundai thinks so.
In a letter to Hyundai dealerships, Hyundai vice-president of national sales Dave Zuchowski warns that protesters might show up at Hyundai dealerships, and asks that the dealerships not confront the protesters. The letter, which was obtained by the Associated Press, said unions and civil rights groups are pushing Hyundai and other car manufacturers with plants in Alabama to take a position urging repeal of the Alabama immigration law.
Hyundai, a South Korean car company, has a large facility in Montgomery that, according to the letter, is responsible for 34,000 jobs (that includes factory and supplier jobs) and a $3.8 billion impact to the state’s economy.
Hyundai is one of several car manufacturers with a plant in Alabama. Honda and Mercedes also build cars in Alabama, and Toyota manufactures V6 and V8 engines for its trucks in Alabama.
The HB56 spotlight shined on the Alabama auto industry in November, when Tuscaloosa police arrested a manager at the Mercedes plant for an HB56 charge—he lacked identification. A Japanese Honda employee was ticketed for an HB56 charge later that month.

