Hyundai Motor Group accelerates innovation in manufacturing process

“Meta factory.” [Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group is poised to introduce an innovative casting technique comparable to Giga Press of U.S. electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla Inc. as it seeks manufacturing breakthroughs amid a rapid shift toward automotive electrification.

According to industry sources on Sunday, Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Corp. have recently submitted a trademark registration for the term “hypercasting” with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on August 21. Hyundai Motor Group had launched a technology demonstration project related to hypercasting in the first half of this year.

The move came after the auto giant’s management and labor union agreed in May to commence efforts to develop next-generation automotive light materials and launch a large-scale demonstration project for casting technology.

Under the application submitted by the carmakers, the hybercasting business encompasses ten industrial categories, including light metal fabrication, metal heat treatment, metal casting, and pressure casting.

“The company is driving to adopt novel manufacturing approaches, but more details have yet to be fixed,” said an official from the company.

Hyundai Motor Group has been seeking a strategy of electrification that innovates and brands manufacturing processes.

An example of the strategy is the introduction of E-FOREST, an intelligent factory with utmost efficiency and automation using artificial intelligence (AI) systems and machines.

Hyundai Motor Group is also pushing for a project that applies the E-FOREST to its metaverse initiatives. The company has also applied for trademarks for the terms “meta factory” and “meta studio” in April.

“Meta factory.” [Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

The auto giant’s branding strategy has focused on enhancing its identity as a technological frontrunner in the automotive sector by fostering innovation across the entire manufacturing process rather than focusing solely on the quality of the final product.

In particular, it aims to enhance its competitive edge against global rivals such as Tesla.

Tesla’s Giga Press is a casting technique that presses molten aluminum alloy into a giant mold where the metal hardens into a frame section for a vehicle.

The method is cost-efficient and time-consuming as it requires only a single process to produce a vehicle body in which other auto parts will be assembled.

Without the need to bond multiple components, the technique enhances the structural integrity of the vehicle while reducing the vehicle’s weight.

Following the introduction of Giga Press in its California plant in 2020, the U.S. carmaker has widely used it in other international factories, such as China and Germany.

Tesla is extensively employing the Giga Press technology in manufacturing its entry-level Model 3 and Model Y vehicles while actively expanding the range of components produced using Giga Press, which has allowed the automaker to remain competitive in a global rally for lower prices.

Other global carmakers have adopted a manufacturing technique similar to Tesla’s Giga Press.

In June, Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. announced a new casting strategy called Giga Casting, with intentions to leverage Giga Casting in the production of an EV model that is set to debut in 2026. It aims to curtail vehicle development expenses and minimize factory investments. China’s Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. also began to use the Giga Press technique to produce its EV Zeekr.