Hyundai Motor Company has celebrated a significant milestone, marking 100 million units of global cumulative production. This achievement was accomplished in just 57 years since the company’s foundation, making it one of the fastest in the global automotive industry. To mark the occasion, Hyundai Motor held a ceremony at its Ulsan Plant in Korea on 30 September. The ‘100 million and one’ vehicle, an IONIQ 5, rolled off the final inspection conveyor belt at the facility’s shipping centre.
Jaehoon Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said: “Reaching global cumulative production of 100 million vehicles is a meaningful milestone that was possible thanks to our customers around the world who have chosen and supported Hyundai Motor since the very beginning. Taking on bold challenges and being in constant pursuit of innovation has enabled us to achieve rapid growth and will empower us to take ‘one step further’ toward another 100 million units as a mobility game-changer.”
The Ulsan Plant, which began operations in 1968, holds significant historical importance as the ‘birthplace of the development of the Korean automobile industry’. Notably, the plant produced Korea’s first mass-produced independent model, the Pony, in 1975. Currently, the Ulsan Plant is a central hub for electrification, and the company is establishing a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) facility at the site.
Dong Seock Lee, president and head of domestic productions at Hyundai Motor Company, said: “Each and every employee at Hyundai Motor has contributed to the accumulation of 100 million units through their hard work and dedication. This auspicious occasion is just the first step toward the future era of electrification that Hyundai Motor will lead.”
This historic achievement follows Hyundai Motor’s continuous growth, fuelled by the launch of the premium brand Genesis, the high-performance brand N, and the introduction of EVs such as the IONIQ 5 based on the dedicated electric global modular platform (E-GMP). The company’s global footprint has expanded with production facilities in Turkey, India, the USA, and the Czech Republic, contributing to record achievements including surpassing 50 million vehicles manufactured in 2013.
Last year, Hyundai Motor built on this momentum by establishing the Hyundai Motor Group Global Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), a new concept of a smart urban mobility hub. The innovative manufacturing platforms and advanced technologies developed there, including artificial intelligence, robots, and smart factories, are set to be introduced to future production factories, such as Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), maximising production efficiency.