Tacoma seeing auto exports to Asia

Tacoma seeing auto exports to Asia The Port of Tacoma said it's starting to see cars exported from the United States to Asia.
   'Although initial volumes are small, Mitsubishi Motors is exporting Eclipse sports cars through the port to China and South Korea,' the port said in a statement on Thursday. 'The vehicles are built at Mitsubishi’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill., transported by rail to the Port of Tacoma’s Marshall Avenue Auto Facility and then loaded to Wallenius Wilhelmsen Line auto ships.'
   The Eclipses are loaded onto rail cars at Mitsubishi's distribution center near Normal, hauled by Norfolk Southern to Kansas City and then transferred to Union Pacific for the trip to Tacoma
   Mitsubishi has indicated it will ship about 400 cars to Asia through Tacoma in the fiscal year ending March 31. Another 500 cars are projected to be exported similarly in the following year.
   'What it really comes down to is cost,' Randy Casebolt, manager of national port operations for Mitsubishi Motors North America, said of the decision to export through Tacoma. 'We get better rates on the rail movement to Tacoma.'
   It should be noted that this export activity is but a small percentage of Tacoma's auto activity. The port handles about 170,000 cars per year.