At this point, the cars are close to being finished. They're still without doors, however, having been removed after painting –both to ease the assembly process and to ensure they aren't damaged – and travel overhead on a separate conveyor to be reunited with the body at the final finishing point.
Each and every car is subjected to a 3- to 4-minute driving test, and 24% are selected to go on the test track.
Outside the plant is an enormous port, and the pavement is a veritable sea of Hyundais – Velosters, Tucsons, Elantras and more. The windshield documents show such far-flung locales as Syria, Turkey and Brazil. We keep a wary eye for the kamikaze pilots parking this vast fleet; despite their break-neck speed, the precise lines of vehicles could be measured by t-square, with mere inches to spare between them.
Two gigantic freighters are docked at the port, their drawbridges lowered to reveal a vast, gaping maw. Up to 7,500 cars can be carried in their 12-storey holds. It takes up to four weeks for one of these behemoths to travel to the East Coast of North America, or two weeks to unload in L.A.
We watch as vehicle after vehicle travels up the green-carpeted plank to disappear into the bowels of the giant ship, each one destined for a distant car lot somewhere on the other side of the ocean.
Each and every car is subjected to a 3- to 4-minute driving test, and 24% are selected to go on the test track.
Outside the plant is an enormous port, and the pavement is a veritable sea of Hyundais – Velosters, Tucsons, Elantras and more. The windshield documents show such far-flung locales as Syria, Turkey and Brazil. We keep a wary eye for the kamikaze pilots parking this vast fleet; despite their break-neck speed, the precise lines of vehicles could be measured by t-square, with mere inches to spare between them.
Two gigantic freighters are docked at the port, their drawbridges lowered to reveal a vast, gaping maw. Up to 7,500 cars can be carried in their 12-storey holds. It takes up to four weeks for one of these behemoths to travel to the East Coast of North America, or two weeks to unload in L.A.
We watch as vehicle after vehicle travels up the green-carpeted plank to disappear into the bowels of the giant ship, each one destined for a distant car lot somewhere on the other side of the ocean.
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| The gigantic freighters can carry up to 7,500 cars. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com) |
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