Montgomery Advertiser, Ala., Auto Focus column.

By Tiffany Ray, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jan. 23--SPIKE IN SONATA PRODUCTION ACCELERATES HIRING: With the decision to ramp up production at the plant faster than originally anticipated, Hyundai is also picking up the pace in hiring new workers for the facility.

Company leaders recently boosted the plant's production goals for the first year to 150,000 Sonatas, up from 93,000, an increase of more than 60 percent.

To do that, the plant is going to need to ramp up its hiring, too. To date, the company has hired about 1,200 of the 2,000 workers it expects to employ, according to Kerry Christopher, Hyundai's …