Hyundai Motor to Complete Unprecedented Future-Oriented Innovation Factory by 2025

Groundbreaking for First Electric Vehicle Factory in the US
Strengthening Position as a Global Market 'First Mover'

Jang Jae-hoon, President of Hyundai Motor Company, is giving a speech at the second part of the groundbreaking ceremony for 'Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA)' held on the 25th (local time) in Bryan County, Georgia, USA.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Hyundai Motor Group officially announced the groundbreaking of its ‘first overseas electric vehicle (EV) dedicated plant’ on the 25th (local time) in the state of Georgia, USA. This marks the group’s first step in establishing an EV production base and demonstrates its determination to position itself as a first mover in the global EV market. Through the ‘Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA)’ being built in Georgia, the company plans to establish a top-tier future-oriented innovative factory unlike any seen before.

HMGMA, the group’s first EV-dedicated plant, is scheduled for completion in 2025. Its annual production capacity will be up to 300,000 units. The group plans to soon begin construction of Korea’s first EV and electric PBV (Purpose Built Vehicle) plants at Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan plant and Kia’s Autoland Hwaseong, respectively, with completion targeted by 2025. Considering that each of these two plants will have a maximum annual capacity of 150,000 units, once all three plants are completed, Hyundai Motor Group will have an additional annual EV production capacity of 600,000 units.

HMGMA is particularly adjacent to three Hyundai Motor Group production bases in the U.S., allowing for ‘economies of scale’ in terms of parts procurement and supply chain management. HMGMA is approximately 420 km from Kia’s U.S. production subsidiary (Kia Georgia) located in the same state of Georgia, and about 510 km from Hyundai Motor’s U.S. production subsidiary in Alabama (HMMA). The distances correspond to roughly 4 hours and 5 hours by car, respectively.

The company plans to operate this plant as a top-level future-oriented innovative factory. To this end, it will introduce the manufacturing innovation platform developed and demonstrated at the ‘Singapore Global Innovation Center (HMGICS).’ Robots will work alongside humans to reduce labor intensity, and the system is designed to allow remote resolution of issues during the production process without the need for on-site visits. Hyundai Motor named it Meta Plant to signify handling mobility beyond just simple automobiles.

Hyundai Motor Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for its electric vehicle-only factory, 'Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA),' on the 25th (local time) in Bryan County, Georgia, USA. Key figures attending the ceremony are seen breaking ground to mark the start of the factory construction. From the left in the photo: Jose Munoz, Hyundai Motor Global Chief Operating Officer (COO, President); Yoon Seung-kyu, Head of Kia North America Region (Vice President); Jang Jae-hoon, President of Hyundai Motor Company; Cho Tae-yong, Ambassador to the United States; Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group (fifth from the left); Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia; Buddy Carter, U.S. Representative; Raphael Warnock, U.S. Senator; Jon Ossoff, U.S. Senator; Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Photo by XXX

The manufacturing innovation platform at HMGICS includes ▲demand-driven AI-based intelligent control systems ▲eco-friendly low-carbon construction methods aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and RE100 (100% renewable energy use) ▲human-friendly facilities that enable safe and efficient work.

HMGMA is expected to become a key hub for Hyundai Motor Group’s U.S. EV market strategy. The group plans to sell a total of 3.23 million EVs globally by 2030, aiming for a market share of about 12%. In the representative advanced market of the U.S., the target is to sell 840,000 EVs by 2030.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to accelerate its electrification transition by building EV-dedicated production bases not only in the U.S. but also domestically. Hyundai Motor will construct a new EV plant on the driving test site within the Ulsan plant, and Kia will build a PBV EV-dedicated plant at Autoland Hwaseong. Both locations will begin full-scale mass production starting in 2025, the same timeframe as HMGMA.

Leveraging these three domestic and overseas EV-dedicated hubs, Hyundai Motor Group’s position in the global automotive market is expected to rise to a new level, which will also boost exports of domestically produced finished vehicles and EVs. In fact, last year, Hyundai Motor and Kia’s domestic production volume increased by 12% compared to 2004, just before the Hyundai Motor Alabama plant began operations, and finished vehicle export value increased by 79% during the same period.

Jung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, expressed his ambition, stating, “We will make Meta Plant America the world’s most admired top-level EV production facility.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.