US Georgia Electric Vehicle-Only Factory Confirmed
Annual Capacity of 300,000 Units... "Manufacturing Innovation Smart Factory"
Foreign Media: "Up to 6 Models Including Pickup Trucks and Large SUVs to Be Introduced"
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Hyundai Motor Group has decided to build an electric vehicle (EV)-dedicated factory in Georgia, USA, with an annual production capacity of 300,000 units. Construction will begin next year, and the plant is expected to start operations around 2025. The company has not yet disclosed which specific models will be produced.
However, industry insiders anticipate that electric vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands will be produced simultaneously. Since all three brands are developing EVs across various vehicle segments, it is highly likely that the production models will be determined based on local market demand. This simultaneous production of three brands is expected to be the first case among Hyundai Motor Group’s global production bases, including those in Korea.
According to the company’s explanation on the 22nd, the new U.S. factory will be located in Bryan County near Savannah, a port city on the U.S. East Coast. The site will be built on a 11.83 million square meter area, which includes additional land added to the site purchased last year by the Georgia state government for a finished vehicle plant. This is a large-scale site equivalent to about 1,600 soccer fields. For comparison, Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan plant, considered the world’s largest single finished vehicle plant, covers an area of 5 million square meters (factory area basis). The large site appears to have been secured considering the joint battery cell plant currently under review.
Finished vehicles waiting in the storage yard at the export shipping dock of Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant. It is equipped with a full export dock and is considered the largest single finished vehicle plant in the world. The new U.S. factory will apply the manufacturing innovation platform developed by the Singapore Global Innovation Center, which is regarded as Hyundai Motor Group’s next production technology hub. This approach significantly expands the use of artificial intelligence and automation equipment, enabling demand-driven production.
According to the plan, the new U.S. factory will begin operations and production in the first half of 2025. Considering that Kia’s Hwaseong Plant 4, which Hyundai Motor Group is promoting as a domestic EV-dedicated factory, aims to start in the second half of the same year, it is highly likely that the first EV-dedicated factory will be established overseas. Kia Hwaseong Plant 4 is planned as a purpose-built mobility (PBV) factory, producing EVs mainly used for taxis or ride-hailing services.
Although the company has not disclosed the models to be produced at the new U.S. factory, local foreign media and industry sources expect a range of vehicle segments including pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and mid-size sedans. Pickup trucks have traditionally been in high demand in North America, and Kia is developing an electric pickup truck. Additionally, Hyundai’s Ioniq 7 (a large SUV), which is based on an EV-dedicated platform, is also likely to be produced locally.
The Hyundai Motor Indonesia plant, completed earlier this year. It is the first overseas factory to produce the dedicated electric vehicle Ioniq 5. Targeting the North American market, the currently sold small pickup truck may also be replaced with an electrified model as a new vehicle. Hyundai has only disclosed that it is developing North America-specific models. Among the three brands, Genesis, which has the most aggressive electrification strategy, is also expected to produce at least one electrified model of either an SUV or sedan locally. Automotive News, citing anonymous sources, reported that up to six models will be introduced by 2028.
If Hyundai, Kia, and the premium brand Genesis all produce vehicles in the same factory, it will be the first case at the Hyundai Motor Group level. While Hyundai Motor Group has some cases of contract manufacturing of other brand vehicles at certain plants in Russia and Mexico, factories are basically operated according to each brand. Until now, Genesis vehicles have been produced exclusively at the Ulsan plant (Plants 2 and 5).
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