Car Makers Become 'Hallmark' of Southern Economy.

Byline: Tiffany Ray

Apr. 25--While Montgomery's Hyundai automotive plant promises to brighten the local economic picture, it is also the latest chapter of a bigger story about the role of automaking in the South.

To help tell the tale, the Southern Legislative Conference, a regional arm of the Council of State Governments, has released a special report, "The Drive to Move South: The Growing Role of the Automobile Industry in the Southern Legislative Conference Economies."

The automotive industry, while playing an important role in the national economy for decades, has become a "hallmark" of the Southern economy in the past 10 years or so.

…