Hyundai opens Metaplant America in Georgia

2025-03-26 · Publisher : Hyundai Motor Group · Domain : Industry 4.0 & 5.0

On 26 March 2025, Hyundai Motor Group opens Metaplant America in Georgia, an EV and hybrid plant backed by battery joint ventures, for $12.6bn; capacity will rise from 300,000 to 500,000 vehicles a year.

### Background On 26 March 2025, in Ellabell, Georgia, **Hyundai Motor Group** opens **Metaplant America (HMGMA)**, described as the largest economic development project in the state's history. The first vehicle, an IONIQ 5, rolled off the line on 3 October 2024, less than two years after groundbreaking. ### Key facts - Group investment in Georgia, including battery joint ventures with LG Energy Solution and SK On: **$12.6bn**, with 8,500 jobs targeted by 2031. - Initial capacity: **300,000 vehicles a year**, raised to **500,000** in the plan announced on opening day. - Electric and hybrid models for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia (IONIQ 5, IONIQ 9, then a first Kia model in 2026). - Hyundai announces **$21bn** in additional US investment from 2025 to 2028. - On 4 September 2025, an ICE (immigration enforcement) raid on the battery plant construction site leads to the detention of more than 300 South Korean workers. ### Why it matters The Metaplant illustrates the subsidized American car plant model: vehicle and battery on a single site, high automation and record construction speed. The September 2025 raid is also a reminder that reshoring depends on specialized skills that are often imported. ### Takeaway A plant built in under three years, a symbol of Korean investment in the US, and of its political frictions.

Tags : Usine, Automobile, Batteries, États-Unis, Relocalisation