Hyundai’s having trouble meeting demand… and that’s a good thing

Hyundai’s cars are selling so well, that the once dodgy brand is having more and more trouble meeting demand – a problem that is desired by many automakers in the industry.

“I was surprised,” says George Glassman, a Hyundai dealership in Southfield, Michigan who has delivered cars to buyers as far as Cleveland and Chicago. “Demand is outstripping availability. People who want a particular color or set of features buy the car and fly in to pick it up.”

So why isn’t Hyundai pumping up production. CEO John Krafcik says that the availability of Hyundai’s vehicles in the U.S. is tight because the Korean automaker is ‘more or less maxed out’ on worldwide production.

“We’re doing everything we can. Some of our dealers are quite upset they can’t get enough cars.” said Marc Cannon, a spokesman for AutoNation, the nation’s biggest auto retailer called demand for Hyundais ‘overwhelming,’ resulting in shortages at the chain’s five franchises.

Hyundai opened an assembly plant in Montgomery, Alabama in 2005, which has an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles. Executives decline to say when a second U.S. plant might be built.

Hyundai and Kia now have about the same share of the U.S. market as Honda.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: CNNMoney