Hyundai Motor Group announced Thursday that it will proceed with its planned expansion of its Georgia manufacturing facility, despite recent disruptions caused by an immigration enforcement action that temporarily stalled the launch of an electric vehicle battery plant on the site.
Reflecting on the part of its broader investment plan, Hyundai said it will invest $2.7 billion to boost production at the Ellabell, Georgia, facility by 200,000 vehicles over the next three years, raising the plant’s total annual capacity to 500,000 vehicles.
The $2.7 billion will be used to expand production capacity at the Georgia plant and related Hyundai affiliates, as said by company spokesperson Michael Stewart. Combined with earlier investments, this brings total spending on the auto facility to $10.3 billion, excluding the $4.3 billion Hyundai and its joint-venture partner LG Energy Solution are contributing to the battery plant.
Hyundai initially unveiled the Ellabell expansion in March during the plant’s grand opening west of Savannah and had announced in August plans to invest an additional $5 billion across the United States. However, a recent immigration raid, which resulted in the arrest of more than 300 South Korean workers, has sparked scrutiny over the company’s continued investment in the U.S.
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While Hyundai CEO José Muñoz has acknowledged that the recent immigration raid will push back the opening of the battery plant by at least two to three months. Stewart said on Thursday that the facility is now expected to begin operations in the first half of 2026.
Writing on the same, the chief administrative officer of the Ellabell site, Brent Stubbs, stated, “this situation doesn’t change our plans to continue expanding and localizing in the United States.”
“Our investments in America are part of a long-term strategic plan,” Stubbs wrote in an opinion piece in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the company is still committed to Georgia, published Wednesday, as per AP.
The South Korean automative company further revealed that the Georgia plant, U.S. will eventually assemble 10 different electric and hybrid models, up from the two currently in production as the facility scales up. The automaker remains on track to reach a global production target of 5.6 million vehicles annually by 2030, with plans for 60% of those to be electric or hybrid, aimed at markets in South Korea, North America, and Europe.
Looking ahead, Hyundai plans to produce more than 80% of the vehicles it sells in the United States domestically by 2030, increasing domestic content from 60% to 80%. For the first time, the lineup will include a mid-sized pickup truck, a key segment in the American market, alongside the Santa Cruz, a four-door compact pickup that the company began selling in 2021.
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Stewart said Hyundai and its on-site affiliates currently employ 3,129 workers at the Ellabell facility. The company has pledged to expand its workforce to at least 8,500 by the end of 2031. In support of the project, state and local governments have offered $2.1 billion in tax incentives and other benefits.
The expansion at the Ellabell plant represents the largest component of Hyundai’s plan to increase global production by 1.2 million vehicles annually. The strategy also includes adding 250,000 units from its Pune, India, facility and 200,000 from its electric vehicle plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Hyundai said it will supply parts for another 250,000 vehicles to be assembled at plants in Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and North Africa.
Hyundai also reaffirmed its commitment to advancing robotics technology and announced plans to introduce extended-range electric vehicles by 2027. These new models will combine electric batteries with gasoline engines, enabling a driving range of more than 600 miles (960 kilometers) and reflecting the company’s push to innovate in both efficiency and performance.