Montgomery, AL – The state says automotive manufacturing led Alabama overseas exports to a $17.9 billion in 2011, the most ever in a year.
The new figures were recently released by WiserTrade, which gets data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The governor's office said Wednesday exports were up about 15 percent from $15.5 billion in 2010.
Vehicles remain the state's No. 1 export, followed by coal, industrial machinery, plastics and electrical machinery.
Vehicles and automotive parts totaled about $5.4 billion in 2011, an increase of 14 percent from the $4.7 billion exported in 2011. Alabama ranked fourth nationally for vehicle exports.
Alabama's top export destinations are Canada, China, Germany, Mexico and Japan. The state ranks 25th nationally in the total value of exports.
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