Hyundai expects Ulsan EV plant to start production 2026

Hyundai’s new Korean EV plant starts construction this year with mass production of up to 200,000 EVs annually likely from Q1 2026.

An electric SUV from Hyundai Motor Group luxury brand Genesis will be the first model to be produced at the new plant.

About NZ$2.56 billion (KRW two trillion) will be invested in developing the 548,000 square metre site with construction expected to finish in 2025.

A groundbreaking ceremony included a brand heritage exhibition commemorating more than 50 years of Hyundai Ulsan Plant operation.

Hyundai Motor Group executive chair Euisun Chung, Hyundai president and chief executive Jaehoon Chang, Hyundai executive vice president Dong-seock Lee, and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.

 “The new EV-dedicated plant in Ulsan is the beginning of a promising future for the next 50 years and the era of electrification,” says Chung.

Hyundai’s Ulsan factory started as an assembly plant in 1968 and the EV-dedicated facility will be Hyundai Motor’s first new plant in Korea in 29 years, following the opening of the Asan plant in 1996.

Its first EV prototype the Sonata (Y2) EV was developed in 1991 and the following year the first driverless car successfully completed its initial test drive on the Belgian Road test track.

Hyundai intends applying an innovative manufacturing platform developed by the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre in Singapore at the Ulsan EV plant.

The platform includes demand-driven, artificial intelligence (AI) based intelligent control systems; eco-friendly, low-carbon construction methods to achieve carbon neutrality and RE100 certification (100% renewable energy use); and human-friendly facilities.

Hyundai will introduce a flexible production system to diversify vehicle models, respond to global market changes and automate assembly facilities to improve productivity and quality.

The new EV-dedicated plant will feature a nature-friendly design to reduce worker fatigue and encourage interaction.

Natural light will be maximised and a group lounge established.

The plant’s Central Park incorporating Ulsan’s nature is expected to become a rest area and a hub connecting each building.

Solar power panels and upcycled concrete panels will be applied to the exterior.

A Hyundai heritage exhibition opens to the public at the Heritage Hall of the Ulsan Plant’s Culture Centre from January next year.