Hyundai Motor Group Holds Completion Ceremony for New Meta Plant in the US
Annual Production Capacity Reaches 1 Million Units, Expansion Planned to 1.2 Million Units
All-Out Effort to Align with the Trump Administration... Betting Big on the US Market
Cumulative Sales Near 30 Million Units After 39 Years
With Hyundai Motor Group completing the Meta Plant America (HMGMA) in Georgia, USA, the local production capacity in the United States has reached 1 million units annually. After 39 years of entering the US market, the group has achieved cumulative sales of 30 million units and recently made history by being the first Korean company to announce investment plans alongside the US President at the White House. By planning additional investments through 2028 to expand HMGMA’s production capacity from 300,000 to 500,000 units annually, Hyundai will also play a key role in responding to the global trade restructuring, including the '25% tariff exemption.'
A view of Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA) located in Georgia, USA. Provided by Hyundai Motor Group
Hyundai’s All-Out Effort in the US... Aligning with the Trump Administration
Hyundai Motor Group has actively aligned itself with the Trump administration to target its key overseas market, the United States. At the announcement of an additional investment worth 31 trillion KRW at the White House on the 24th (local time), Chairman Chung Euisun emphasized, "The decision to invest in HMGMA began with the Seoul summit with President Trump in 2019," adding, "The completion of this innovative project coinciding with the start of President Trump’s second term makes it even more meaningful."
Flexible production policies are Hyundai Motor Group’s greatest strength. In response to rapidly changing policies such as the Trump administration’s abolition of electric vehicle subsidies and consideration of import tariffs on foreign cars, the group decided to implement an active production flexibilization strategy. The original plan for HMGMA, built as an electric vehicle-only plant, was revised to include mixed production of hybrids, increasing the production target by more than 60%.
Hyundai’s HMGMA is also expected to play an important role in tariff responses in the US. Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon of Hyundai Motor Group said to reporters right after the completion ceremony, "Ultimately, localization is inevitable, so we need to further enhance that capability," adding, "Currently, we have a local production capacity of just over 700,000 units, and with the addition of 300,000 units from HMGMA and an expansion of 200,000 units, the total will reach 1.2 million units." He continued, "We sell 1.7 million units in the US, and we plan to produce half of them here." Regarding the HMGMA production expansion plan, he said, "The plant with an annual capacity of 300,000 units is already prepared for an expansion of 200,000 units," emphasizing, "In terms of flexibility, we are competitive compared to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)."
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun (left in the photo) is taking a commemorative photo with Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia, at the completion ceremony of 'Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA)' held on the 26th (local time) in Ellabel, Georgia, USA. Photo by Yonhap News
From Underdog to Advanced Symbol: Hyundai in the US
Hyundai established an annual production system of 1 million units in the US 39 years after first entering the market with the export of the Pony Excel in 1986. When Hyundai first stepped into the US in the 1980s, the initial response was sensational. In 1987, the year after its launch, the Pony Excel sold over 260,000 units annually in the US, ranking first among imported compact cars. However, the initial enthusiasm was followed by a strong backlash due to successive quality controversies.
It took more than a decade to recover the damaged brand image. In 1999, Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo set a major quality improvement goal and embarked on 'quality management.' Hyundai introduced a groundbreaking '10-year/100,000-mile' free engine repair warranty policy in the US and actively incorporated the results of the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) to improve quality.
In 2005, Hyundai’s Alabama plant and in 2009, Kia’s Georgia plant began full-scale operations, increasing local production. From the 2010s, continuous quality improvements led to sales growth, with Hyundai and Kia surpassing 1 million units in annual US sales and 10 million units in cumulative sales by 2011.
Production line view of Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA) located in Georgia, USA. Photo by Hyundai Motor Company
After securing quality capabilities, Hyundai’s next challenge was to enhance brand perception. To this end, Hyundai launched Genesis as an independent brand in the US in 2016 and significantly expanded its lineup of sport utility vehicles (SUVs), which are highly favored by American consumers. Starting in 2021 with the launch of the electric Ioniq 5, Hyundai has stood out in the eco-friendly vehicle market with electric and hybrid models, aiming to transform its image into an advanced technology-equipped eco-friendly brand.
Hyundai and Kia have also achieved excellent results in evaluations by US market research organizations. Over five years, four models?Telluride in 2020, Avante in 2021, EV6 in 2023, and EV9 in 2024?were selected as North American Car of the Year.
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