Chung Euisun Unveils Hyundai’s Bold Post-Car Strategy: Robotics, AI, and $26 Billion US Investment
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun has firmly positioned the United States as the carmaker’s pivotal market, reaffirming a robust commitment to invest $26 billion in the country by 2028, even amidst ongoing geopolitical complexities. This strategic move underscores Hyundai’s long-term vision and dedication to the American automotive landscape.
During a recent interview with US-based media outlet Semafor, published Monday, Chung detailed the group’s overarching strategic priorities. These include a heightened focus on the crucial American market, coupled with ambitious long-term plans in cutting-edge fields such as robotics, physical artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced hydrogen technologies.
As a distinguished member of the Global Advisory Board of the Semafor World Economy, a prominent assembly of global CEOs organized by the outlet in the US, Chung’s insights carry significant weight.
“The US represents a core strategic market for Hyundai Motor Group,” Chung stated. “Our unwavering long-term confidence is clearly reflected in our extensive US investment strategy and the substantial $26 billion commitment to America through 2028, a plan we proudly announced last year.”
This anticipated investment builds upon the approximately $20.5 billion Hyundai Motor Group has already channeled into the US market since its entry over four decades ago, showcasing a sustained and growing presence.
Chung highlighted the company’s reinforced commitment at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia, where the automaker is pioneering the introduction of advanced software-defined manufacturing processes.
“The evolving geopolitical landscape today emphasizes the critical importance of our agility and adaptability,” he explained. “By deeply integrating our US operations into our global strategy — encompassing advanced manufacturing capabilities and significant job creation — we can respond flexibly to changing conditions while consistently delivering the highest-quality products and services for our valued customers.”
He further elaborated that the segmentation of the global market has become an undeniable reality, with customer preferences, regulatory frameworks, and intricate supply chains increasingly fragmented across different regions.
Hyundai’s forward-thinking strategy, according to Chung, is to seamlessly combine “global expansion with localized agility.” He cited the carmaker’s established Korean factories, the state-of-the-art HMGMA plant in the US, the accelerated ramp-up of hybrid vehicle production within the US, and the establishment of new production bases in key markets like India and the broader Asia-Pacific region as prime examples of this approach.
The Executive Chair additionally emphasized the transformative role of robotics and physical AI in Hyundai’s future endeavors.
“Robotics and physical AI are absolutely central to Hyundai Motor Group’s evolution beyond traditional mobility solutions,” he asserted. “This embodies our profound vision, and we are striving to achieve it by fostering powerful partnerships between humans and sophisticated co-working robots, all seamlessly powered by advanced artificial intelligence.”
Chung also reaffirmed the company’s ambitious plan, initially unveiled in January at CES, to deploy Boston Dynamics’ cutting-edge Atlas humanoid robots across the carmaker’s manufacturing facilities by 2028. This initiative aims to produce up to an impressive 20,000 Atlas units annually by 2030, marking a significant leap in industrial automation.
He underscored Hyundai’s unwavering commitment to hydrogen power, arguing that this innovative technology could become indispensable amidst the escalating global energy demand driven by the expansion of AI infrastructure and massive data centers.
“Energy security is an increasingly vital topic that we all must confront, and at Hyundai Motor Group, we identify immense potential in hydrogen as a robust solution to the world’s complex energy challenges,” he stated.
Chung clarified that hydrogen should not be perceived as a rival to electric vehicles (EVs), but rather as a crucial complementary technology within a diversified energy portfolio.
“In the realm of mobility, we view hydrogen as a complementary clean technology alongside our comprehensive range of full EVs, providing our customers with expanded choices,” he concluded. “We are actively building in optionality. That strategic approach is paramount for effective competition within an uncertain and dynamic energy transition landscape.”
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