Hyundai opens new EV-dedicated Plant in Ulsan, South Korea
Hyundai Motor Company held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new EV plant at its complex in Ulsan, the heart of Korea’s automotive industry.
The new EV-dedicated plant will be a human-centered facility with an innovative manufacturing platform that will be a hub for Hyundai Motor’s mobility production in the era of electrification.
Hyundai Motor’s new EV-dedicated plant in Ulsan will form part of a 548,000 m2 site with a capacity to produce 200,000 EVs per year. Approximately KRW 2 trillion ($1.53 billion) will be invested in the project, with full-scale construction set to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2025, and vehicle mass production will commence in the first quarter of 2026. An electric SUV from Hyundai Motor Group luxury brand, Genesis, will be the first model to be produced at the new plant.
“The new EV-dedicated Plant in Ulsan is the beginning of a promising future for the next 50 years and the era of electrification. I am honored to share our dream of a 100-year company here,” said Executive Chair Chung. “Just as the dream of building the best car in the past made Ulsan an automotive city today, I trust Ulsan will be an innovative mobility city that leads the way in the era of electrification, starting with a dedicated EV plant.”
“It is undeniable that Hyundai Motor Company has played the biggest role in the growth of Ulsan,” said Ulsan Metropolitan City Mayor Doo-gyeom Kim. “We will continue to do our best to draw a new future together in line with the changes in the global automotive industry.”
Hyundai Motor plans to apply an innovative manufacturing platform that was developed by the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS) at its dedicated EV plant in Ulsan to future-proof the facility and prioritize employee safety, convenience and efficiency.
HMGICS’ manufacturing innovation platform includes demand-driven, AI-based intelligent control systems; eco-friendly, low-carbon construction methods to achieve carbon neutrality and RE100 certification (100 percent renewable energy use); and human-friendly facilities that enable safe, efficient working.
Hyundai Motor will use this to build a smart logistics system, including automated parts logistics, at the new EV plant. It will introduce a flexible production system to diversify vehicle models, respond to global market changes and automate assembly facilities to improve productivity and quality.
“For the past half century, Hyundai’s Ulsan Plant has evolved as technicians on the production line have learned, created and challenged new things,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Inheriting the heritage of the Ulsan Plant, which has turned grand dreams into reality through the power of people, Hyundai will do its best to become the first mover in the electrification era with the pride and responsibility to create mobility innovations for people.”
