Latest news with #Ioniq9
The Verge
5 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.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
How Hyundai Australia's new boss plans to reverse Korean brand's sales slide
Hyundai Australia has a new boss – Don Romano – and his mission is simple: turn the brand's fortunes around amid an onslaught of new challenger brands and the looming threat of federal emissions regulations. Mr Romano turned down retirement to join the local arm of Hyundai as the first-ever non-Korean CEO seven weeks ago, after successfully heading up Hyundai Canada for 11 years. By his own admission, he has faced a multitude of challenges in his roles elsewhere, but none quite compare to what he's up against Down Under. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. In 2025, auto brands in Australia have to contend with a saturated market containing no fewer than 60 separate brands – dozens more than you'll find in other major markets – with many more to come. Hyundai was among the nation's top brands until a few years ago, selling in excess of 100,000 vehicles between 2014 and 2016, before its sales declined to about 75,000 in 2023 and then 71,664 in 2024, placing it sixth on the league ladder behind Toyota (241,296 sales), Ford (100,170), Mazda (95,987), sister brand Kia (81,787), and Mitsubishi (74,547). Additionally, this year marks the start of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which includes a set of stringent emissions targets designed to reduce the carbon footprint of Australia's new vehicle market. Those factors, in combination with a host of other economic pressure points, render Australia a difficult place to do business according to Mr Romano. "There's nothing quite like it – you're talking 70 brands, whereas the markets I've worked in have had anywhere from 20 to 30 brands," said Mr Romano. "So we definitely have a unique challenge here that we don't see in other markets. I think the challenge is greater, but you also have a few brands that are very dominant here, more dominant here than they are in other markets. They're more dominant even though you have more brands, which is very unusual to me. "So the question is, how do you build a brand that can future proof itself sustainably against an onslaught of new entries?" "When it comes to NVES, there's going to be a lot of brands that are going to start falling apart because they're burying their heads in the sand." Mr Romano joins Hyundai Australia at an important juncture for the automaker, after annual sales declined by 4.7 per cent last year. Plans to reverse the trend include an injection of marketing investment, expansion of the model lineup, and a renewed focus on dealer engagement. Mr Romano will oversee the launch of several key models in the coming months and years, including the Inster compact electric vehicle (EV), the Ioniq 9 large electric SUV, and the next-generation Palisade large SUV and Nexo fuel-cell vehicle. Speaking with the media at the launch of the Inster, Hyundai's smallest and cheapest EV so far, Mr Romano said he planned to stop the sales decline and "not to go right up to 100,000, but to start growing again". "I'm not going to commit to any number other than growth – we're not going to go backwards," he said. "We've been going back for five, six years and we need to turn that corner. We're going to do it this year, and we're going to start going the other way sustainably and cautiously, through good brand management and ultimately new products." However, Mr Romano said the required sales growth wouldn't come from new battery-electric like the Inster and Ioniq 9 alone. EVs accounted for just 3.7 per cent of Hyundai's Australian sales last year, with a total of 2665 sales across its Kona, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 lines. The clock is ticking for Mr Romano, who expects to hold the Korean brand's local CEO role for no more than three years before transitioning towards retirement. "We need to future-proof our business, and that's why I'm here," he told CarExpert. MORE: Everything Hyundai Content originally sourced from: Hyundai Australia has a new boss – Don Romano – and his mission is simple: turn the brand's fortunes around amid an onslaught of new challenger brands and the looming threat of federal emissions regulations. Mr Romano turned down retirement to join the local arm of Hyundai as the first-ever non-Korean CEO seven weeks ago, after successfully heading up Hyundai Canada for 11 years. By his own admission, he has faced a multitude of challenges in his roles elsewhere, but none quite compare to what he's up against Down Under. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. In 2025, auto brands in Australia have to contend with a saturated market containing no fewer than 60 separate brands – dozens more than you'll find in other major markets – with many more to come. Hyundai was among the nation's top brands until a few years ago, selling in excess of 100,000 vehicles between 2014 and 2016, before its sales declined to about 75,000 in 2023 and then 71,664 in 2024, placing it sixth on the league ladder behind Toyota (241,296 sales), Ford (100,170), Mazda (95,987), sister brand Kia (81,787), and Mitsubishi (74,547). Additionally, this year marks the start of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which includes a set of stringent emissions targets designed to reduce the carbon footprint of Australia's new vehicle market. Those factors, in combination with a host of other economic pressure points, render Australia a difficult place to do business according to Mr Romano. "There's nothing quite like it – you're talking 70 brands, whereas the markets I've worked in have had anywhere from 20 to 30 brands," said Mr Romano. "So we definitely have a unique challenge here that we don't see in other markets. I think the challenge is greater, but you also have a few brands that are very dominant here, more dominant here than they are in other markets. They're more dominant even though you have more brands, which is very unusual to me. "So the question is, how do you build a brand that can future proof itself sustainably against an onslaught of new entries?" "When it comes to NVES, there's going to be a lot of brands that are going to start falling apart because they're burying their heads in the sand." Mr Romano joins Hyundai Australia at an important juncture for the automaker, after annual sales declined by 4.7 per cent last year. Plans to reverse the trend include an injection of marketing investment, expansion of the model lineup, and a renewed focus on dealer engagement. Mr Romano will oversee the launch of several key models in the coming months and years, including the Inster compact electric vehicle (EV), the Ioniq 9 large electric SUV, and the next-generation Palisade large SUV and Nexo fuel-cell vehicle. Speaking with the media at the launch of the Inster, Hyundai's smallest and cheapest EV so far, Mr Romano said he planned to stop the sales decline and "not to go right up to 100,000, but to start growing again". "I'm not going to commit to any number other than growth – we're not going to go backwards," he said. "We've been going back for five, six years and we need to turn that corner. We're going to do it this year, and we're going to start going the other way sustainably and cautiously, through good brand management and ultimately new products." However, Mr Romano said the required sales growth wouldn't come from new battery-electric like the Inster and Ioniq 9 alone. EVs accounted for just 3.7 per cent of Hyundai's Australian sales last year, with a total of 2665 sales across its Kona, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 lines. The clock is ticking for Mr Romano, who expects to hold the Korean brand's local CEO role for no more than three years before transitioning towards retirement. "We need to future-proof our business, and that's why I'm here," he told CarExpert. MORE: Everything Hyundai Content originally sourced from: Hyundai Australia has a new boss – Don Romano – and his mission is simple: turn the brand's fortunes around amid an onslaught of new challenger brands and the looming threat of federal emissions regulations. Mr Romano turned down retirement to join the local arm of Hyundai as the first-ever non-Korean CEO seven weeks ago, after successfully heading up Hyundai Canada for 11 years. By his own admission, he has faced a multitude of challenges in his roles elsewhere, but none quite compare to what he's up against Down Under. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. In 2025, auto brands in Australia have to contend with a saturated market containing no fewer than 60 separate brands – dozens more than you'll find in other major markets – with many more to come. Hyundai was among the nation's top brands until a few years ago, selling in excess of 100,000 vehicles between 2014 and 2016, before its sales declined to about 75,000 in 2023 and then 71,664 in 2024, placing it sixth on the league ladder behind Toyota (241,296 sales), Ford (100,170), Mazda (95,987), sister brand Kia (81,787), and Mitsubishi (74,547). Additionally, this year marks the start of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which includes a set of stringent emissions targets designed to reduce the carbon footprint of Australia's new vehicle market. Those factors, in combination with a host of other economic pressure points, render Australia a difficult place to do business according to Mr Romano. "There's nothing quite like it – you're talking 70 brands, whereas the markets I've worked in have had anywhere from 20 to 30 brands," said Mr Romano. "So we definitely have a unique challenge here that we don't see in other markets. I think the challenge is greater, but you also have a few brands that are very dominant here, more dominant here than they are in other markets. They're more dominant even though you have more brands, which is very unusual to me. "So the question is, how do you build a brand that can future proof itself sustainably against an onslaught of new entries?" "When it comes to NVES, there's going to be a lot of brands that are going to start falling apart because they're burying their heads in the sand." Mr Romano joins Hyundai Australia at an important juncture for the automaker, after annual sales declined by 4.7 per cent last year. Plans to reverse the trend include an injection of marketing investment, expansion of the model lineup, and a renewed focus on dealer engagement. Mr Romano will oversee the launch of several key models in the coming months and years, including the Inster compact electric vehicle (EV), the Ioniq 9 large electric SUV, and the next-generation Palisade large SUV and Nexo fuel-cell vehicle. Speaking with the media at the launch of the Inster, Hyundai's smallest and cheapest EV so far, Mr Romano said he planned to stop the sales decline and "not to go right up to 100,000, but to start growing again". "I'm not going to commit to any number other than growth – we're not going to go backwards," he said. "We've been going back for five, six years and we need to turn that corner. We're going to do it this year, and we're going to start going the other way sustainably and cautiously, through good brand management and ultimately new products." However, Mr Romano said the required sales growth wouldn't come from new battery-electric like the Inster and Ioniq 9 alone. EVs accounted for just 3.7 per cent of Hyundai's Australian sales last year, with a total of 2665 sales across its Kona, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 lines. The clock is ticking for Mr Romano, who expects to hold the Korean brand's local CEO role for no more than three years before transitioning towards retirement. "We need to future-proof our business, and that's why I'm here," he told CarExpert. MORE: Everything Hyundai Content originally sourced from: Hyundai Australia has a new boss – Don Romano – and his mission is simple: turn the brand's fortunes around amid an onslaught of new challenger brands and the looming threat of federal emissions regulations. Mr Romano turned down retirement to join the local arm of Hyundai as the first-ever non-Korean CEO seven weeks ago, after successfully heading up Hyundai Canada for 11 years. By his own admission, he has faced a multitude of challenges in his roles elsewhere, but none quite compare to what he's up against Down Under. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. In 2025, auto brands in Australia have to contend with a saturated market containing no fewer than 60 separate brands – dozens more than you'll find in other major markets – with many more to come. Hyundai was among the nation's top brands until a few years ago, selling in excess of 100,000 vehicles between 2014 and 2016, before its sales declined to about 75,000 in 2023 and then 71,664 in 2024, placing it sixth on the league ladder behind Toyota (241,296 sales), Ford (100,170), Mazda (95,987), sister brand Kia (81,787), and Mitsubishi (74,547). Additionally, this year marks the start of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which includes a set of stringent emissions targets designed to reduce the carbon footprint of Australia's new vehicle market. Those factors, in combination with a host of other economic pressure points, render Australia a difficult place to do business according to Mr Romano. "There's nothing quite like it – you're talking 70 brands, whereas the markets I've worked in have had anywhere from 20 to 30 brands," said Mr Romano. "So we definitely have a unique challenge here that we don't see in other markets. I think the challenge is greater, but you also have a few brands that are very dominant here, more dominant here than they are in other markets. They're more dominant even though you have more brands, which is very unusual to me. "So the question is, how do you build a brand that can future proof itself sustainably against an onslaught of new entries?" "When it comes to NVES, there's going to be a lot of brands that are going to start falling apart because they're burying their heads in the sand." Mr Romano joins Hyundai Australia at an important juncture for the automaker, after annual sales declined by 4.7 per cent last year. Plans to reverse the trend include an injection of marketing investment, expansion of the model lineup, and a renewed focus on dealer engagement. Mr Romano will oversee the launch of several key models in the coming months and years, including the Inster compact electric vehicle (EV), the Ioniq 9 large electric SUV, and the next-generation Palisade large SUV and Nexo fuel-cell vehicle. Speaking with the media at the launch of the Inster, Hyundai's smallest and cheapest EV so far, Mr Romano said he planned to stop the sales decline and "not to go right up to 100,000, but to start growing again". "I'm not going to commit to any number other than growth – we're not going to go backwards," he said. "We've been going back for five, six years and we need to turn that corner. We're going to do it this year, and we're going to start going the other way sustainably and cautiously, through good brand management and ultimately new products." However, Mr Romano said the required sales growth wouldn't come from new battery-electric like the Inster and Ioniq 9 alone. EVs accounted for just 3.7 per cent of Hyundai's Australian sales last year, with a total of 2665 sales across its Kona, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 lines. The clock is ticking for Mr Romano, who expects to hold the Korean brand's local CEO role for no more than three years before transitioning towards retirement. "We need to future-proof our business, and that's why I'm here," he told CarExpert. MORE: Everything Hyundai Content originally sourced from:
7NEWS
6 days ago
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
How Hyundai Australia's new boss plans to reverse Korean brand's sales slide
Hyundai Australia has a new boss – Don Romano – and his mission is simple: turn the brand's fortunes around amid an onslaught of new challenger brands and the looming threat of federal emissions regulations. Mr Romano turned down retirement to join the local arm of Hyundai as the first-ever non-Korean CEO seven weeks ago, after successfully heading up Hyundai Canada for 11 years. By his own admission, he has faced a multitude of challenges in his roles elsewhere, but none quite compare to what he's up against Down Under. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. In 2025, auto brands in Australia have to contend with a saturated market containing no fewer than 60 separate brands – dozens more than you'll find in other major markets – with many more to come. Hyundai was among the nation's top brands until a few years ago, selling in excess of 100,000 vehicles between 2014 and 2016, before its sales declined to about 75,000 in 2023 and then 71,664 in 2024, placing it sixth on the league ladder behind Toyota (241,296 sales), Ford (100,170), Mazda (95,987), sister brand Kia (81,787), and Mitsubishi (74,547). Additionally, this year marks the start of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which includes a set of stringent emissions targets designed to reduce the carbon footprint of Australia's new vehicle market. Those factors, in combination with a host of other economic pressure points, render Australia a difficult place to do business according to Mr Romano. 'There's nothing quite like it – you're talking 70 brands, whereas the markets I've worked in have had anywhere from 20 to 30 brands,' said Mr Romano. 'So we definitely have a unique challenge here that we don't see in other markets. I think the challenge is greater, but you also have a few brands that are very dominant here, more dominant here than they are in other markets. They're more dominant even though you have more brands, which is very unusual to me. 'So the question is, how do you build a brand that can future proof itself sustainably against an onslaught of new entries?' 'When it comes to NVES, there's going to be a lot of brands that are going to start falling apart because they're burying their heads in the sand.' Mr Romano joins Hyundai Australia at an important juncture for the automaker, after annual sales declined by 4.7 per cent last year. Plans to reverse the trend include an injection of marketing investment, expansion of the model lineup, and a renewed focus on dealer engagement. Mr Romano will oversee the launch of several key models in the coming months and years, including the Inster compact electric vehicle (EV), the Ioniq 9 large electric SUV, and the next-generation Palisade large SUV and Nexo fuel-cell vehicle. Speaking with the media at the launch of the Inster, Hyundai's smallest and cheapest EV so far, Mr Romano said he planned to stop the sales decline and 'not to go right up to 100,000, but to start growing again'. 'I'm not going to commit to any number other than growth – we're not going to go backwards,' he said. 'We've been going back for five, six years and we need to turn that corner. We're going to do it this year, and we're going to start going the other way sustainably and cautiously, through good brand management and ultimately new products.' However, Mr Romano said the required sales growth wouldn't come from new battery-electric like the Inster and Ioniq 9 alone. EVs accounted for just 3.7 per cent of Hyundai's Australian sales last year, with a total of 2665 sales across its Kona, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 lines. The clock is ticking for Mr Romano, who expects to hold the Korean brand's local CEO role for no more than three years before transitioning towards retirement. 'We need to future-proof our business, and that's why I'm here,' he told CarExpert.
![[Photo News] Dutch embassy goes electric](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F05%2F28%2Fnews-p.v1.20250528.0d8ae7ea41824ed491a4c1bbfd312747_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Photo News] Dutch embassy goes electric](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
[Photo News] Dutch embassy goes electric
The Ioniq 9, Hyundai Motor's all-electric three-row sport utility vehicle, has been selected as the official vehicle for the embassy of the Netherlands in South Korea. With the designation, the Dutch delegation became the first embassy in Korea to have a battery-powered EV as its official car. In the photo, Dutch Ambassador to Korea Peter van der Vliet (center) and Hyundai Motor officials including Kim Il-bum (left), executive vice president of Hyundai Motor's global policy office, pose for a photo in front of the Ioniq 9 during the signing ceremony at the automaker's Asan plant on Tuesday. (Hyundai Motor Group)
Korea Herald
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 9 selected as official vehicle by Dutch Embassy in Seoul
Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday its flagship Ioniq 9 electric sport utility vehicle has been selected as an official vehicle for the embassy of the Netherlands in South Korea. A formal vehicle handover ceremony was held Tuesday at Hyundai Motor's plant in Asan, 107 kilometers south of Seoul, attended by Dutch Ambassador Peter van der Vliet and Kim Il-bum, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor's global policy office. The embassy will use the Ioniq 9 for official duties and diplomatic events. The selection marks the first time the Dutch Embassy in Seoul has adopted an electric vehicle as its official car, reflecting the Netherlands' strong commitment to sustainable mobility and advanced EV infrastructure. Built on Hyundai Motor Group's dedicated EV platform E-GMP, the Ioniq 9 offers a spacious interior, sleek design and class-leading range of 532 kilometers on a single charge with a 110.3 kilowatt-hour battery. "We are honored that the Ioniq 9 was chosen as the Dutch Embassy's official vehicle," a Hyundai official said. "We hope to see our eco-friendly vehicles play a greater role in global diplomacy." (Yonhap)
