Hyundai to Expand U.S. Georgia Metaplant Production Target to 800,000 Vehicles by 2028

South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor is expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint with plans to significantly increase output at its newly constructed vehicle assembly complex in Georgia, Chief Executive Officer José Muñoz revealed in an interview first reported by CNBC Business. Muñoz stated that the company expects its Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America facility to expand its operational capacity target from an initial 500,000 vehicles annually to between 700,000 and 800,000 units by 2028. The multibillion-dollar expansion represents a key component of the company's long-term strategy to localize its supply chain and vehicle assembly operations for the North American automotive sector.

Speaking on Thursday in San Francisco following the official reveal of the flagship Genesis GV90 SUV, Muñoz underscored the central role that North America plays in the automaker's global growth strategy. He noted that the United States stands as the most vital market for the enterprise worldwide, secondary only to South Korea, where Hyundai maintains its international headquarters. The newly disclosed assembly target is integrated into Hyundai’s overarching $26 billion capital expenditure strategy across the U.S. extending through 2028, an initiative designed to strengthen its regional market share and support a massive expansion of its electric and hybrid vehicle lineup.

Through this multi-year financial commitment, Hyundai aims to launch dozens of new vehicle models while dramatically shifting where its inventory is manufactured. The corporate goal calls for assembling at least 80% of all vehicles sold in the U.S. market locally by 2028. Achieving that metric would mark a major transition from 2024 operational baseline metrics, when domestic assembly accounted for roughly 40% of the company's total U.S. sales volume. By shifting production closer to American consumers, Hyundai intends to minimize logistics friction and insulate its business model from international trade disruptions.

If realized at full output, the revised capacity target would position the Georgia Metaplant as the single largest automotive assembly plant in the United States by volume. Reaching the upper bound of 800,000 units per year would push the facility's production potential past existing major manufacturing complexes operated by rival automakers, including domestic EV leader Tesla and Japanese legacy manufacturer Toyota Motor. In addition to the Georgia facility, Muñoz confirmed that Hyundai is currently assessing extra capital investments to build out manufacturing capacity for body-on-frame light trucks and sport utility vehicles outside the Metaplant campus, though he declined to share specific financial figures or potential geographic locations.

Trade regulations and import duties have actively influenced Hyundai’s accelerated timeline for U.S. factory expansion. Muñoz acknowledged that recent trade tariffs enacted under President Donald Trump—including a 15% tariff on goods imported from South Korea—have accelerated the company's existing localization plans. Muñoz remarked that tariffs are helping accelerate their localization plan, adding that because Hyundai had already commenced construction on U.S. infrastructure before the duties were officially introduced, the policy changes effectively served to speed up an initiative that was already underway.

First announced in 2022, the $7.6 billion Georgia facility was designated as a dedicated production hub for hybrid and battery-electric models across the Hyundai brand, its luxury Genesis division, and corporate sibling Kia. The site currently manufactures all-electric models including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Hyundai Ioniq 9, alongside hybrid variants such as the Kia Sportage. The baseline plan targeting 500,000 vehicles annually was projected to generate more than 8,500 jobs directly on the Georgia megasite, with an additional 6,900 jobs created through connected offsite supplier networks across the surrounding region.

The manufacturing expansion follows a period of robust U.S. commercial performance for the South Korean enterprise throughout the current decade. Combined sales figures across the parent organization—encompassing the core Hyundai brand as well as Kia and Genesis—have grown by nearly 50% since 2020, based on internal company reports and industry tracking from Mobility Global. According to data from Mobility Global, previously known as S&P Global Mobility, Hyundai successfully expanded its total share of the U.S. auto market from 8.4% in 2020 to 11.2% last year, providing a strong commercial baseline as the company prepares to bring its expanded Georgia operations fully online.