“We’ve been investing in Brunswick. “We’ve been creating capacity in Brunswick,” Lynch said in an interview, adding that there could be further growth in 2024. So the economy is going to drive the cars, so we’ll have to see how that plays out. But for now, they are strong. ”
Car shipments to Georgia soared last year as sales surged amid pent-up demand after a computer chip shortage slowed down assembly lines.
More cars are expected to be sent to Brunswick’s docks in the coming years as Georgia looks to become the electric vehicle manufacturing hub of the South. Hyundai is building the nation’s first EV-only factory west of Savannah, and electric truck maker Rivian is building a factory east of Atlanta. Kia Motors announced last summer that it would expand its West Point factory to build electric SUVs.
Meanwhile, the Port of Savannah saw a noticeable drop in cargo being transported in containers, giant metal boxes used to package retail goods from home appliances to frozen chicken. Savannah is her fourth busiest port in the United States for containerized cargo, after New York, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, California.
Savannah handled 4.9 million container imports and exports last year, a 16% decrease compared to calendar 2022. Lynch said retailers ordered less inventory as inflation and rising interest rates dampened consumer spending.
That may be changing. Savannah’s container volume in January remains on track to exceed the same month last year, and Lynch said he expects this trend to continue in the coming months.
“I fully believe that if you look at February, March and April, you should see positive year-over-year numbers,” Lynch said. “This number is stronger than we expected.”