Hyundai breaks ground at Georgia site

The automotive sector in the southeastern United States is getting a boost from a $5.54 billion investment underway by South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Group in Bryant County, Georgia, just south of Savannah in that state.

An Oct. 22 groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp and other government officials and corporate executives.

The $5.54 billion investment by the company and affiliated suppliers, announced five months ago, will result in an assembly plant for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia electric vehicles (EVs) and an EV battery manufacturing facility.

The company says its “new smart factory” is expected to begin commercial production in the first half of 2025. Hyundai says it is accelerating its electrification efforts with the global target to sell 3.23 million full EVs annually by 2030.

“Today, our EVs are recognized as best in class, and with this partnership, we are determined to be the global leader in electrification, safety, quality and sustainability,” Chung says. “With the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, we will continue to evolve beyond an automaker to the world’s leading mobility solutions provider.”

Investments in the EV sector have been widespread this year, with Hyundai joined by Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Honda, BMW, Foxconn and numerous other firms in making announcements and holding groundbreaking ceremonies for projects with high price tags.

Of interest to scrap processors, the geography of the investments seems to have stretched from the Great Lakes region—home to Ford, GM and Honda—to the Southeast, where European and Asian carmakers have been more likely to locate their facilities.

Collections of news posted by Recycling Today pertaining to EV production and recycling can be found here while the collection of stories focusing on battery production and recycling can be found here.