- The carmaker should be able to include hybrid production at the factory without needing to make any additional investments.
- Hyundai and Kia offer a slew of hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in the U.S.
- BEV production at the Georgia factory will start in the second half of this year.
Hyundai is building a massive battery-electric vehicle factory in Georgia and has now revealed it will also produce hybrid vehicles at the site.
The carmaker is investing $12.6 billion into EV and battery manufacturing facilities in the state and will produce several Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EVs. Hyundai Motor’s global chief operating officer Jose Munoz says that a growing interest in hybrid vehicles means the site will be adapted to produce them too, confirming that new equipment will be added to build hybrids.
Read: Hyundai Still Thinks Georgia Is Peachy, Will Build $5 Billion Battery Plant There
“Now we are at this pivotal point where we can decide if we’re going to go full electric or if we should go for something else,” Munoz told Auto News. “My vote here is that we should go for something else in addition to electric.”
Global sales of Hyundai’s hybrid vehicles jumped 17% in the first quarter of this year. Munoz indicated the company should be able to support the production of hybrid vehicles at the site without making any additional investments.
“I think we can handle (that) within the current investment more or less… It is already a lot,” he said.
Munoz didn’t say which hybrid vehicles could be built at the Georgia site. Several hybrid and plug-in hybrid models are already sold by Hyundai in the U.S., including the Tucson, Santa Fe, Elantra, and Sonata. Kia also sells hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Niro, Sportage, and Sorento. Genesis doesn’t have any hybrids in its range but the G80 and GV70 are expected to receive hybrid options soon.
Speaking more broadly about the company’s EV sales in the U.S., Munoz said it will be able to better compete with rivals if its locally-made models benefit from the full federal EV tax credit.
“In October later this year and (if) we qualify (for U.S. EV tax credits), then we are going to be able to fight a head to head in the same conditions as our competitors,” he said.
Production at the Georgia plant will commence in the second half of this year.
