Hyundai Begins Work On $5.5 Billion U.S. Plant That Will Build EVs By Mid-2025

The Hyundai Motor Group that consists of the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands has just broken ground on its new electric vehicle plant in Georgia. The site, just west of Savanah, will have an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles. The plant will create more than 8,100 new jobs for over the next few years as Kia and Hyundai seek to qualify for the federal tax credit by building electric cars here in the USA.

When President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law this summer, it cut off EVs not manufactured in North America. Hyundai already had plans to build a new EV plant in Georgia but in August we reported that it might speed up the development of the site. That’s exactly what today’s announcement confirms.

In the past, the Korean automaker had said that it planned to begin construction on the site sometime in early 2023. The start of commercial production was planned for the first half of 2025. That’s still the case as both Kia and Hyundai doubled down on that goal today.

Read: These Are The Only 21 Vehicles That May Be Eligible For Biden’s New EV Tax Credits

The state of Georgia already has a good working relationship with Hyundai Motor Group as the Kia Telluride, Sorento, and Sportage SUVs are already built there. “Kia was the first to open an auto assembly plant in Georgia, and our plan to produce EVs in the U.S. builds on the success and growth we have forged together and reinforces our commitment to becoming a sustainable mobility solutions provider,” said Sean Yoon, president, and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America.

Hyundai, Kia And Genesis EVs

The plant will produce vehicles for the entire Hyundai Motor Group including Kia and Genesis products alongside a battery manufacturing facility. According to Hyundai, the plant will feature AI and data-driven optimization across all parts of production from logistics, to procurement, from order collection to production itself.

Once complete, and barring any further changes to the law, the vehicles produced there should qualify for the federal tax credit. That will be a relief for Hyundai as it saw a sales slump of roughly 14% on the Ioniq 5 during September compared to August. It’s possible that before the plant is complete, the two brands might strike a separate deal for subsidies too.