Hyundai Motor Surpasses 100 Million Units, Sets Global Record for Shortest Time
11th 'Ioniq 5' Delivered at Ulsan Plant on 30th
Based on Aggressive Overseas Expansion and Technology Development Strategy
Hyundai Motor Company has achieved a cumulative production of 100 million vehicles 57 years after entering the automobile industry. Hyundai set a record for the fastest cumulative production of 100 million units among major global automakers. On the 30th, Hyundai delivered the 100 millionth and first electric vehicle, the Ioniq 5, to a customer in their 20s who chose it as their first-ever car.
On the same day, Hyundai held a commemorative event for reaching 100 million global vehicle production at the Ulsan Plant Delivery Center, attended by executives including Lee Dong-seok, President of Domestic Production, and Moon Yong-moon, Head of the Labor Union. Hyundai set the new record of 100 million cumulative production in mid-September.
The background behind Hyundai achieving the “100 million unit milestone” lies in its aggressive overseas expansion strategy and relentless technological development efforts. Hyundai began assembling and producing the second-generation Ford Cortina in Ulsan in 1968. Chung Ju-yung, the former chairman of Hyundai Group, saw limitations in the assembly production method and decided to develop an independent model made with domestic technology. Three years after starting the project, in 1975, Hyundai succeeded in mass-producing the Pony. In 1991, Hyundai developed the first independent engine made with domestic technology, the “Alpha Engine,” and in 1994, launched the Accent, the first mass-produced car made entirely with domestic technology from platform to engine and transmission. In 2011, Hyundai developed the world’s first parallel hybrid system.
As the technological level improved, overseas sales also increased. Hyundai opened the door to South Korea’s automobile exports by exporting six Pony units to Ecuador in 1976. In 1986, Hyundai exported the country’s first front-wheel-drive passenger car, the Pony Excel, to the United States, the home of automobiles. The Pony, in particular, was a model that popularized automobiles in South Korea, and thanks to its popularity, Hyundai surpassed 1 million units produced across all models in 1986. Ten years later, in 1996, Hyundai reached 10 million units produced.
Since then, Hyundai has aggressively expanded its overseas production bases, laying the foundation for a global automobile company. It has grown into a giant automaker aiming for second place in global sales this year. Starting with the T?rkiye plant, Hyundai has established factories worldwide in India, the United States, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Indonesia, and other locations, currently maintaining an annual production capacity of about 5 million units globally.
In 2015, Hyundai launched the premium brand Genesis and the high-performance brand N. It has led the growth of the electric vehicle market by releasing electric vehicles based on the dedicated electric vehicle platform “E-GMP,” including the Ioniq 5. Leveraging its electric vehicle technology, Hyundai targeted emerging markets such as Indonesia and India and achieved its best performance since its founding in 2023. In September of this year, Hyundai set the monumental achievement of producing 100 million vehicles cumulatively.
CEO Jang Jae-hoon said, “The record of reaching 100 million units is thanks to the countless global customers who have supported Hyundai from its founding until now. Hyundai, which has grown rapidly through bold challenges and persistent research, will take one more step toward a new future of 100 million units as a mobility game changer.”
Hyundai Motor Company has surpassed a cumulative production of 100 million units. The 101 millionth Ioniq 5 electric vehicle was produced at Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant. [Photo by Hyundai Motor]
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