Hyundai Motor Group has held a groundbreaking ceremony for the electric vehicles factory in the United States, which will become a stepping stone for a leap forward as a global electric vehicle (EV) market leader.

Hyundai Motor Group has officially announced the establishment of the factory in order to position itself as a global 'Electric Vehicle (EV) Top Tier'. It is a strategic decision to solidify the market's 'first mover' (leader) position in the rapid electrification trend.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the HMGMA site. Immediately after the main participants took the first shovel to announce the construction of the plant, the second part of the event was held at Savannah's Enmarket Arena, about a 30-minute drive from HMGMA. In the second part of the event to strengthen ties with the local community, ordinary citizens also attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new factory. At this event, Hyundai Motor Group introduced the latest mobility technologies such as electric vehicles and robotics, as well as the social contribution activities of Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Genesis in the region.

The HMGMA celebrations include Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Representative Buddy Carter, and US Department of Commerce Don Graves. The deputy minister and ambassador to the U.S. Cho Tae-yong were in attendance. In the Hyundai Motor Group, top management including Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Hyundai Motor President Jae-hoon Jang and Global Chief Operating Officer José Muñoz attended the meeting.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said in his congratulatory speech, “The partnership with Hyundai Motor Group and the groundbreaking ceremony for this innovative plant are unprecedented economic achievements in Georgia. I hope it will be helpful to everyone."

Chairman Chung Eui-sun said, “We have finally found the best place and the best partner to realize the Hyundai Motor Group’s vision of ‘Progress for Humanity,’ which will become a top-notch electric vehicle production facility."

Hyundai Motor Group plans to accelerate the transition to electrification by building production bases exclusively for electric vehicles in the US as well as in Korea. Hyundai Motor Company will build a new electric vehicle plant on the site of the driving test site in Ulsan plant, and Kia will build a PBV electric car plant in Autoland Hwaseong. Both will start mass production from 2025, the same time as HMGMA.

Using the three bases for electric vehicles in Korea and abroad as a stepping stone, the Hyundai Motor Group's position in the global automobile market will rise to the next level, so it is expected to expand exports of domestic automobiles and electric vehicles. In fact, last year, Hyundai Motor and Kia's domestic production increased 12% compared to 2004, just before the operation of Hyundai Motor's Alabama plant, and finished car exports also increased by 79% during the same period.

By 2030, Hyundai Motor Company (including Genesis) plans to build a lineup of 18 electric vehicles and 13 Kia electric vehicles to produce 1.44 million electric vehicles annually in Korea alone.