Latest news with #HyundaiMotorGroup
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Hyundai AutoEver showcases vehicle software innovation at Autosar conference
Hyundai AutoEver, the vehicle software arm of Hyundai Motor Group, shared its latest innovations in automotive software at a global industry event in Belgium this week. The 16th Autosar Open Conference, hosted by Automotive Open System Architecture, a global partnership of leading companies in the automotive and software industry, took place on May 27 and 28 in Bruges. This year's theme focused on Autosar 's role in addressing key challenges in software-defined vehicles. The event brought together global automotive original equipment manufacturers and software developers to explore solutions for SDVs. As a premier partner of Autosar, Hyundai AutoEver presented insights on how visualizing the results of continuous testing for Autosar-based operating systems can improve software quality throughout the development cycle. Continuous testing refers to verifying software quality from the planning stage through deployment, allowing early detection and resolution of bugs, thereby accelerating development speed. Hyundai AutoEver showcased its proprietary tool to automate the visualization of software test results. This tool enables developers to identify necessary improvements within minutes by analyzing correlations in the code data via visualized charts. The presentation drew attention from industry leaders, including Mercedes-Benz, Bosch and Elektrobit, among over 30 participating companies. Hyundai AutoEver also introduced its in-house developed Autosar-compliant software platform, Mobilgene, currently implemented across all mass-produced vehicles of Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Volkswagen Atlas: Big on space, smooth on road
VW rolls out flagship SUV in Korea, targeting Hyundai-dominated segment Volkswagen has rolled out the Atlas, its largest three-row SUV, in the South Korean market for the first time, catering to the country's strong appetite for family vehicles. All eyes are on how the German automaker will penetrate the SUV market currently dominated by Hyundai Motor Group and recover its annual sales to 10,000 units. First introduced in the US in 2017, the all-wheel-drive family SUV is one of Volkswagen's four new car models launching this year, including the Golf hatchback, ID.5 electric SUV and Golf GTI. Competing with Hyundai Motor Company's Palisade SUV, which sold over 6,000 units in the first quarter, the New Atlas boasts German precision engineering -- highlighting a comfortable and stable driving experience. The Korea Herald was able to try out the SUV in a recent media test drive covering some 136 kilometers across Seoul and Incheon. The most noticeable feature of the vehicle is how smoothly it navigates the road. Despite its large body size, it maintained firm handling with little vibration even on sharp turns. The car's appeal extends beyond its stability. Powered by Volkswagen Group's turbocharged 2.0 TSI EA888 evo4 engine -- also found in performance models such as the Golf GT -- the Atlas delivers impressive performance. It took on hills with ease accompanied by a powerful engine sound that added a hint of sportiness. On highways, however, the noise felt louder and a little more irritating. The Atlas also features Volkswagen's latest advanced driver assistance system, the This reduces fatigue during long-distance driving with Travel Assist, by automatically adjusting the car's speed, maintaining a safe distance between vehicles and keeping the vehicle within its lane. The Adaptive Cruise Control supports stop-and-go from 0 to 200 kilometers per hour, blind spot monitoring, rear traffic alert and emergency braking. Volkswagen stressed that the New Atlas has the largest body size in its segment in the Korean market, measuring 5,095 millimeters in length, with a width of 1,990 millimeters and a height of 1,780 millimeters. It also has a class-leading trunk capacity of up to 2,735 liters. Folding the second and third-row seats also creates ample floor space, making it ideal for camping and other outdoor leisure activities. The SUV accentuates a motorsport-inspired design package, with LED headlamps and an illuminated central logo for a bold look. The rear sports connected LED lamps, an illuminated logo and a body-colored bumper. The spacious interior is also emphasized by the driver's seat, which includes a 10.25-inch digital cockpit and a windshield head-up display. The New Atlas comes in a single trim and is available in six- or seven-seater configurations, priced at 68.5 million won ($49,800) and 67.7 million won, respectively.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Verge
Hyundai's new EV factory is teeming with robots — and wariness about the future
Driving a 2026 Ioniq 9 SUV around the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant in Georgia can feel like a victory lap for the South Korean automaker. Hyundai's electric flagship carves out room for three America-centric rows of seats, from a booming brand whose EVs and hybrids already make up one in every four US sales. Even better, the Ioniq 9 and smaller Ioniq 5 are emerging from a futuristic new factory in America, giving Hyundai a defensible bulwark against the tariffs and onshoring fervor of Donald Trump's administration. As I watch these electric SUVs roll off a surgically clean assembly line, Hyundai's opportunistic timing looms as large as the hulking robots that help build its cars. A tour of the $7.6 billion factory also underlines how many automakers are plowing ahead with long-laid EV plans, regardless of Category 5 Washington winds that threaten to blow away Joe Biden-era support for EV manufacturing, consumer tax credits, and public charging. Hyundai's opportunistic timing looms as large as the hulking robots that help build its cars Seen from the air en route to Savannah, the Metaplant resembles a printed circuit board on a green background, blown up to epic scale. Eleven low-slung, pale-green buildings dot 3,000 acres of Georgia countryside, with a total 7.5 million square feet of space. One building houses a $4 billion battery plant, a joint operation with South Korea's LG Energy Solution, that plans to begin supplying cells for Ioniq models next year. The company is racing to open a second battery plant in Georgia, a roughly $5 billion joint operation with SK On. A forthcoming steel plant in Louisiana further underscores Hyundai's commitment to its largest global market. It's all part of a $21 billion investment in America between now and 2028, the vast majority pledged during the EV-friendly Biden administration. No humans required Pulling into the factory, I watch a conveyor carry freshly painted cars across a windowed bridge. It's designed to let drivers on Interstate 16 see the fruits of a plant that will ultimately produce 500,000 EVs and hybrids a year — more than Tesla's Texas Gigafactory, with its 375,000-car capacity. Georgians may also see their tax dollars at work. The publicly supported plant already employs 1,340 'Metapros,' enough to boost the automaker's annual local payroll to $497 million. Hyundai foresees an eventual 8,500 jobs on-site, and another 7,000 satellite jobs for local suppliers and businesses. That's a lot of jobs. Compared with the Detroit-area factory where I toiled in the 1980s, a depressing maelstrom of heat, dirt, toxic chemicals, and industrial accidents, this joint is like MOMA: a modern museum of manufacturing art. But the factory also highlights a catch-22 of modern manufacturing, one that Trump's economic advisors seem to overlook, intentionally or otherwise: To have any chance of competing with China's EV-and-battery juggernaut, factories must enlist growing armies of AI-enhanced robots that can potentially work 24/7 and never demand overtime or benefits. That means employing relatively fewer humans. At the factory loading docks, Autonomous Guided Vehicles, or AGVs, busily unload parts from semitrucks. Roughly 300 of these robotic sleds roam the factory with no tracks required, neatly avoiding workers or obstacles. AI informs the entire factory operation, from procurement to logistics to production. Roughly 300 of these robotic sleds roam the factory with no tracks required These AGVs are common in today's factories, but I've never seen them at this scale, or a certain tag-team maneuver: A pair of sleds slide below finished Hyundais as they roll off the line. They squeeze the cars' wheels in robotic arms, hoist them off the ground, and ferry cars where they need to go. I've visited car factories around the world, and this is the first I've seen where an employee doesn't have to start cars and drive them away. Automated vehicles also carry every component to the assembly line for efficient 'just-in-time' installation, no humans required. That avoids wasting money and labor stockpiling huge backlogs of parts. 'They're delivering the right parts to the right station at the right time, so you're no longer relying on people to make decisions' or losing time to mistakes, says Jerry Roach, senior manager of general assembly. Man's best friend does make an appearance. A pair of robotic dogs named 'Spot,' bred by the Hyundai-owned, Massachusetts-based Boston Dynamics, scan and sniff out potential defects on car welds. Those yellow-coated dogs may soon be joined by humanoid robots, the AI-driven 'Atlas' models that Hyundai plans to deploy throughout its factories in the future. The dexterous biped bots — whose ability to cartwheel, breakdance, and barrel roll already outdoes most auto workers — appear outwardly friendly, but will strike any sentient human as a potential Terminator of jobs. (Hyundai executives insist that is not the case). The welding shop alone houses 475 industrial robots, piecing together the building blocks of a car chassis. A steel stamping plant is so spookily quiet that no ear protection is required, even as robots stamp out roofs, fenders, and other body panels in a whirling, complicated dance. As with many leading-edge factories, there are strikingly few workers beyond the assembly line itself; I spot only a few dozen at work in the cavernous welding hall. Familiar industrial robots — but not yet humanoid Atlas robots — even install bulky car doors on the assembly line. Roach says that job is notoriously tough for workers to manage without potentially damaging painted surfaces. Such 'collaborative' robots must be safe and reliable enough to operate alongside humans without physical separation required. 'This is a real-life factory of the future,' Roach says. Clean energy targets Those kinds of jobs, involving massively heavy lifting, repetitive tasks, or computerized speed and accuracy, are 'prime things' to automate, Roach says. Other jobs require the tactile precision that only human hands and vision provide. 'I want my people doing craftsmanship,' Roach says. 'I want to pay people well for the things they do well, and take away all the stuff that's tedious and boring, the jobs people don't want to do.' Of course, some people might not mind tedious or heavy-lifting jobs that also pay a generous living wage. But there's no going back to the days when it took many thousands of workers to keep a factory humming; Ford's River Rouge complex, designed by Albert Kahn, employed more than 100,000 workers during World War II. Twenty-first-century carmaking also means the latest in green tech. The Metaplant targets obtaining 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources. Trucks that haul parts here daily from a localized supply chain are powered by hydrogen fuel cells and produce zero tailpipe emissions. The 21-truck fleet is built by the Hyundai-owned XCIENT, the world's first commercialized fuel-cell semis. Employees can park in nearly 1,900 spaces beneath solar roofs, shielded from baking Georgia sun, which provides up to five percent of the plant's electricity. The bulk of the factory's finished cars are shipped by rail rather than truck, trimming the plant's carbon footprint. Credit where credit's due Hyundai hopes those trains will work overtime shipping the 2026 Ioniq 9. Buyers will find a spacious, more affordable foil to a Rivian R1S or Tesla Model X, with 50 percent more cargo space behind its third row than Tesla. The sister car to the critically acclaimed Kia EV9 is the most expensive Hyundai yet, starting from $60,595 for a single-motor model with a modest 215 horsepower. The cocooning, thoroughly pleasant-driving SUV gets a 110 kilowatt-hour battery that supplies a generous 335 miles of driving range, or a still-solid 311 to 320 miles for AWD versions. It's stuffed with useful tech, including a curling pair of conjoined 12.3-inch screens, 100-watt USB-C connectors, and active noise cancellation. Ioniq 9 prospects may focus on a particularly compelling piece of tech: an onboard Tesla NACS connector opens the wide world of Tesla Supercharging to buyers. (The smaller Ioniq 5, which kicked off Georgia production in October, was the first non-Tesla with a native NACS plug). Like other EVs with advanced architectures of 800 or more volts, the Ioniq 9 doesn't charge at its peak rates on Superchargers. But Hyundai still cites a 10-to-80-percent refill in 40 minutes. That drops to 24 minutes on the most powerful 350-kilowatt CCS chargers from Electrify America. Ioniq 9s will come with free adapters to plug into CCS stations, opening access to a total 45,000 DC stalls in America. The Ioniq 9 is stuffed with useful tech Hyundai was also hoping to lure Ioniq buyers with a $7,500 consumer tax credit, including by switching Ioniq 5 production from South Korea to Georgia. For the Ioniq 9 I tested — a top-shelf, $75,000 Calligraphy AWD model with 422 horsepower from a pair of electric motors — that credit would represent 10 percent of the price. But now the Trump administration is turning on electrified cars, the majority built in Republican-led states, in unprecedented, nearly malicious fashion. It is kneecapping those credits, blocking public money for chargers, and saddling EVs and hybrids with annual fees for road maintenance. Hyundai had also taken its lumps under the Biden administration: The IRA made its imported EVs ineligible for tax credits, despite Hyundai's pledge of billions of dollars in US investment. José Muñoz, Hyundai's global president, made it clear the company felt blindsided and unfairly sidelined from credits. The Metaplant was one answer, allowing Hyundai to shift Ioniq 5 production from South Korea. That boosts the model's percentage of US- and Canadian-made parts from a piddling two percent to 63 percent, including US-sourced batteries. For the Ioniq 9, the North American share sits at 60 percent. Finally, Hyundai could tout both American-made Ioniq models as being fully eligible for $7,500 consumer tax credits, as executives did during my plant tour. But in a bitter irony, a Hyundai that crossed oceans and moved mountains to jump-start US production of Hyundai, Kia, and luxury Genesis EVs is about to be shut out of credits. Again. There are lessons in there, somewhere. For tariff proponents, the Metaplant might be a $7.6 billion lesson in reality: No American factory can screw together a single car without some share of imported parts, including from a China that holds a near-monopoly on several raw or processed battery materials. For automakers, including (surely envious) Hyundai rivals now under pressure to onshore their own factories, the lessons are different. They must deal with the Trump administration's ever-changing tariff moods, in a business that lives for long-term clarity, regulatory consistency, and economic stability. For every EV maker, including a Hyundai Motor that seemingly did everything by the book, a conclusion appears inescapable: They are on their own. Expect no help from Washington, but rather potential hurt. The only possible strategy is to roll up their sleeves, keep their heads down, and avoid further kicks to the teeth.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Genesis and Genesis Inspiration Foundation contribute $100,000 to youth sports in Coastal Georgia
SAVANNAH, Ga., May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Genesis and Genesis Inspiration Foundation recently announced a combined contribution of $100,000 towards youth sports and education in Coastal Georgia. The area is home to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), Hyundai Motor Group's first dedicated electric vehicle mass-production plant in Bryan County, Georgia. 'Genesis is proud of our long-term commitment to Georgia,' said Drew Ferguson, senior vice president, government affairs, Hyundai Motor Group, and Georgia native. 'This includes investing billions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs in our manufacturing facilities and the supplier ecosystem. It also includes giving back to the communities where our team members live and work. On behalf of all of us at Genesis, it's an honor to support these worthy organizations that do so much for our communities.' 'At Genesis, we believe in empowering young people with the tools needed to excel in the classroom and beyond,' said Brandon Ramirez, director, corporate social responsibility, Genesis Motor America. 'Participation in educational and youth sports programs are incredibly beneficial for children and set them up for future success. We are thrilled to promote these programs in the Coastal Georgia community.' Genesis Motor America is committed to enriching the lives of youth through its Genesis Gives corporate social responsibility initiative by supporting programs in the areas of youth sports and science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education. Participation in youth sports programs is shown to build character and teach important skills such as communication and teamwork. The following youth sports organizations each received a donation: First Tee Savannah: Since 2023, Genesis has partnered with First Tee Savannah, a youth development organization that introduces young people to the game of golf while instilling life-enhancing values such as strength, self-confidence, and resilience. Girls on the Run South Georgia: Since 2022, Genesis has supported the local Girls on the Run chapter in Coastal Georgia, which is now Girls on the Run South Georgia. The organization utilizes fun, evidence-based programs that boost confidence and teach important life skills while increasing levels of physical activity. Savannah United: Since 2022, Genesis has partnered with Savannah United, who offers youth soccer programs through leagues, camps, and tournaments that promote self-esteem and character building in children. Genesis also supports STEAM education programs for young people, which help cultivate a lifelong love of learning and passion for innovation. Since 2022, Genesis has partnered with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. This donation provides scholarships to students that will help them launch their creative professions. Genesis Inspiration Foundation presented a $50,000 grant to Deep Center, a nonprofit that uses writing, art, and culture to fuel the creative fires of Savannah's young people. The organization works with over 800 youth locally and across Georgia, with more than 200 teachers, writers, and community stakeholders every year. The donation is part of Genesis Inspiration Foundation's recent $3 million commitment to provide grants to 83 youth arts organizations across the country as part of its mission to connect youth to the transformative power of the arts. Genesis GivesGenesis Gives is a corporate social responsibility initiative from Genesis Motor America. Expanding on the brand's commitment to the highest standards of performance and its athletic elegance design identity, Genesis Gives supports nonprofit organizations with the goal of improving access to, and performance in, youth sports and STEAM education in under resourced communities. Since 2022, Genesis has donated over $2 million to support communities across the country. For more information, visit Genesis Inspiration FoundationGenesis Inspiration Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to connecting youth to the transformative power of the arts. Our mission is to improve educational outcomes by providing access to arts programs that engage and inspire children in under-resourced communities. Founded in 2018, the Genesis Inspiration Foundation has awarded over $13 million in grants to expand youth arts at museums, schools, and community organizations nationwide. With the support of Genesis and its retailers, we are introducing children to a new world of the possible. To learn more, visit us online at Genesis Motor North AmericaGenesis is a new global automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of design, safety, refined performance, and innovation while looking towards a more sustainable future. Drawing from its cultural heritage and distinctly Korean hospitality, Genesis crafts experiences focused on customers as 'son-nim', or honored guests. Genesis Motor North America offers a growing range of award-winning SUV, sedan, and electric models through its network of more than 200 independent U.S. retailers, in addition to its more than 30 Canadian agency distributors. Genesis now counts more than 80 standalone retail facilities across the North American region, with dozens more in development. Consumers can discover the brand through its many retail points, at Genesis House, the brand's flagship space in New York City, or online at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Star
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Kia launches first EV assembled in Singapore
A Kia EV5 being driven on the sky track at Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre on May 28, 2025. - Photo: ST SINGAPORE: The first electric Kia to be assembled in Singapore – and sold exclusively here – is now on the market. The Kia EV5, a five-seat sport utility vehicle sold by Cycle & Carriage, was previewed four months ago at the Singapore Motorshow in January. Assembling an EV5, which involves around 200 robots, takes seven hours. About 67 per cent of the assembly and inspection process is automated, said Dr Hyun Sung Park, chief executive of the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre (HMGICS). South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Group owns both Hyundai and Kia. The model is slightly smaller overall than the Tesla Model Y and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and comes in three versions. Two versions have a power output of 100kW, qualifying them for a Category A certificate of entitlement (COE), while the third variant is a Category B car with a power output of 230kW. These cars have an operating range of between 400km and 540km on a full charge, and prices start from $194,000 with COE. The EV5, the fourth electric vehicle (EV) to be assembled at HMGICS in the Jurong Innovation District, will not be exported elsewhere. This is also the case for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 assembled at the plant. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxi is also assembled here, but is exported to the US. Kia Asia Pacific president and chief executive Kevin Ahn described the launch of the EV5 in Singapore as a significant milestone. Globally, the brand aims to sell 4.2 million EVs by 2030, he added. The South Korean brand delivered 3.1 million vehicles in 2024, comprising EVs and combustion engine models. HMGICS started assembling cars in 2023 and was said to be able to produce up to 30,000 EVs annually. The plant's spokesman declined to give the annual output figures, saying that this is influenced by market demand. Vehicles are produced when they are ordered, with a 'small buffer' to minimise the waiting period for customers, he said. 'Achieving a large production volume isn't our primary objective. Our main focus remains to be serving as a global innovation hub for Hyundai Motor Group,' the spokesman added. Land Transport Authority data shows that Hyundai registered 708 EVs in Singapore in 2024, up from 693 units in 2023. This includes the locally assembled Ioniq 5 and 6 models, and other EV models imported from abroad. Meanwhile, Kia registered 48 EVs in 2024, down from 53 units the year before. - The Straits Times/ANN
