Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) hosted its Grand Opening celebration, as part of Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to and investment in the US. The ceremony marks the completion of the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history, just two and a half years after breaking ground.

HMG entered into an agreement with the State of Georgia in May 2022 to establish an electric and hybrid vehicle production and battery manufacturing facility in Ellabell, Georgia, located 20 miles outside of Savannah. By June 2022, HMGMA was officially formed, and within four months, the company broke ground on the project.

On 3 October 2024, less than two years after breaking ground, the first vehicle—a Hyundai IONIQ 5—rolled off the assembly line, marking a new era for the Group’s US operations. Hyundai’s IONIQ 9 three-row electric SUV is also now in production at HMGMA and will be joined in 2026 by the first Kia model to be built at the facility.

In addition to manufacturing electric vehicles for Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia, the plant is also equipped to produce hybrid vehicles. HMGMA has the capacity to initially produce 300,000 vehicles annually.

The Group's investment in Georgia related to HMGMA and joint battery ventures with LG Energy Solution and SK On is $12.6 billion. This represents the largest single investment in the state’s history and includes a total of 8,500 jobs at HMGMA by 2031. The Group’s total investments in Georgia are expected to create nearly 40,000 direct and indirect jobs, and $4.6 billion in individual earnings every year, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

As of the end of 2024, more than $2.5 billion in capital investment and approximately 6,900 jobs have been announced by HMGMA suppliers in 12 counties across the state. This more than doubles the additional $1 billion investment by suppliers that was originally anticipated.

To date, the Group has invested more than $20.5 billion in the US. Earlier this week, the Group announced a significant investment of $21 billion in the US from 2025 to 2028; $9 billion will be invested to establish an annual production capacity in the US of 1.2 million vehicles.

The Group plans to expand HMGMA’s annual production capacity to a total of 500,000 units, an increase of 200,000 units from the original plan. In addition, the Group’s existing US production sites—Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and Kia Autoland Georgia—will also see improvements in production facilities.

A total of $6 billion will be allocated to enhance the Group’s parts and logistics business, as well as establishing an Electric Arc Furnace-based integrated steel mill in the US through its affiliate, Hyundai Steel, with an annual steel production capacity of 2.7 million tons. The mill will supply high-quality automotive steel plates to HMGMA when commercial steel production begins in 2029.

The Group will invest an additional $6 billion to drive innovation and expand strategic partnerships with U.S. companies in areas including autonomous driving, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced air mobility (AAM).

HMGMA has integrated a variety of proof-of-concept manufacturing technologies and systems from Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), scaling these to accommodate the larger production volume at the Georgia facility.

For example, all HMGMA’s processes—order collection, procurement, logistics and production—are optimized using AI and real-time data, and cutting-edge robotics and vision systems ensure high-quality vehicle production. These innovative manufacturing systems help create a human-centered work environment with robots assisting human workers, improving efficiency.

HMGMA expands its mixed-model production capability and integrates various robot processes to enhance automation, including automated guided vehicles for an optimized logistics system, Boston Dynamic’s Spot for exterior quality inspection in the weld shop, and parking robots in the assembly shop. Automation in HMGMA’s assembly shop is nearly double that of the Group’s existing facilities.

HMGMA has deployed Hyundai Motor XCIENT heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks for clean logistics operations. A total of 21 XCIENT trucks are currently in operation, representing more than a third of the Glovis America truck fleet at HMGMA, which transport vehicle parts from suppliers across the region to the 2,906-acre Megasite where HMGMA is located on a daily basis.