Hyundai reportedly begins EV production at Georgia plant

The new 2025 Ioniq 5, introduced in South Korea earlier in March this year (Hyundai Motor Group)

Hyundai Motor Group has reportedly begun early-stage production of electric vehicles at its new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America facility, located near Savannah, Georgia.

According to a report on Saturday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a major local newspaper in Georgia, Hyundai commenced production at the facility earlier last week. The company also reportedly held a private event on Thursday for employees to mark this achievement. The official completion ceremony for the plant is still scheduled for early 2025, the newspaper said.

The HMGMA plant, which is dedicated to manufacturing EVs, represents a key part of Hyundai's long-term investment in the US market.

Hyundai Motor Group first announced its plans for the plant in April 2022, with the groundbreaking taking place in October of that year. The company has committed $7.6 billion to develop the facility, which is expected to produce a wide range of electric and hybrid vehicles. Initial pilot production officially began earlier this year.

Hyundai's Seoul official confirmed the production but made it clear that the plant is not fully operational yet. "We are aiming to start production in the fourth quarter. While we're making progress, we're still in the process of recruiting and training staff," the official said.

While HMGMA has been primarily marketed as a dedicated EV plant, Hyundai Motor Group has also designed the facility to be flexible, allowing for the production of both electric and hybrid vehicles. At a Hyundai investor event in Seoul earlier in August, Hyundai Motor Company CEO Chang Jae-hoon emphasized this flexibility, noting that the plant "goes beyond the conventional concept of an automotive manufacturing facility." He added that HMGMA is capable of producing a mix of EVs and hybrids, enabling the company to adapt to market demand.

The first model to roll off the line at the Georgia plant is the 2025 Ioniq 5, an updated version of the popular electric crossover that Hyundai introduced in South Korea in March. All trims of the Ioniq 5, except the high-performance Ioniq 5 N, will be produced at HMGMA. The Ioniq 5 produced at HMGMA will benefit from the $7,500 tax credit provided under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Hyundai projects that the plant will have the capacity to manufacture between 300,000 and 500,000 vehicles per year when fully operational.

By Moon Joon-hyun(mjh@heraldcorp.com)