Hyundai Motor Co. unveiled its most extensive product expansion yet, targeting over 100 model launches globally by 2030 across North America, South Korea and Europe.
Backed by strengthening profitability, the automaker aims to leverage this massive rollout to drive its transformation into a physical AI-driven tech company.
At a CEO Investor Day event in Seoul on Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Co. President and CEO Jose Munoz revealed that among the new models, 58 will be launched in North America, with Genesis accounting for 22. Korea will see approximately 49 model launches, while Europe will receive around 41.
Hyundai is also preparing diverse vehicle debuts in India and China, alongside plans to enter new market sectors by adding more than 18 new models and vehicle segments such as pickups, light commercial vehicles and large SUVs.
In the next eight months, seven new or upgraded vehicles will debut globally, including the all-new Elantra sedan, all-new Ioniq 3 SUV, Tucson Hybrid SUV, Santa Fe Extended Range Electric Vehicle, new A-segment SUV EV for India and European B-segment SUVs.
Hyundai’s aggressive model rollout follows a temporary slowdown brought about by monthslong of labor disputes. On Tuesday, however, the automaker reached a tentative agreement with its union.
Munoz also emphasized the company's renewed operating profit margin target: to move from the 8 to 9 percent range to over 9 percent by 2030. According to Chief Financial Officer Lee Seung-jo, the company plans to reduce its cost of goods sold ratio by 3 percentage points through vehicle lifecycle cost innovation, material cost reduction and localization over that same period.
The annual sales target has also expanded from an initial 4.1 million units to 5.55 million units by 2030. Electrified vehicles are expected to make up 60 percent of total sales, and global market share is projected to reach 6 percent.
To support its 2030 sales expansion, Munoz said Hyundai will boost global production capacity by 1.27 million units — led by North America, India, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Algeria — while diversifying its global sales footprint beyond Korea and North America.
In line with its “build where you sell” localization strategy, the company will increase US vehicle localization from 60 percent to 80 percent by 2030, adding over 275 local partners. Hybrid sales will continue to surge, taking up 50 percent of total sales, up from 25 percent this year.
For Europe, Hyundai is focusing its EV strategy on the high-demand B- and C-segments — which drive over 60 percent of regional sales. Munoz projects EV sales will surge from 116,000 to more than 420,000 units annually. To meet demand, European manufacturing capacity could scale to about 580,000, with full-electric EVs like the Ioniq 3 making up over half the output. The company is also eyeing India, its second-largest production hub outside Korea, as a key export hub. Leveraging over a 15 percent global cost advantage, the country ships 30 percent of local production to over 70 countries. With the opening of the Pune plant, annual production capacity will expand to 1.1 million units, supported by over 90 percent local sourcing across 1,400 supplier partners.
Referring to Korea as Hyundai’s heart of manufacturing, Munoz said the new EV plant in Ulsan will begin operations in the second half of this year, starting production with its recently launched Genesis GV90.
Designed as a software-defined factory, this facility integrates 108 advanced control systems, AI-driven quality inspection and manufacturing AI agents. Beginning in 2027, Hyundai will modernize Ulsan Plants 1 and 4 as part of Hyundai’s record 125 trillion won ($90.3 billion) domestic investment.
In China, the world’s largest and most competitive auto market, Hyundai is leveraging group-wide resources to stabilize profitability and restore sales to over 500,000 units by 2030. The three-pillar strategy focuses on relaunching the Ioniq EV lineup, expanding the dealer network to 484 locations, and collaborating with major local technology partners.
Munoz referred to China as a critical proving ground for Hyundai to counter the rising global influence of Chinese automakers. He noted the company will leverage the group’s deep vertical integration; drive growth in next-generation sectors such as software-defined vehicles, robotics and robotaxis; and maximize its scale as the world’s third-largest automaker.
In terms of future mobility and physical AI initiatives, the automaker will begin supplying Ioniq 5 robotaxis produced at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia to Waymo in the fourth quarter this year. Its Motional joint venture plans to commercialize the robotaxi by late this year.
Hyundai is advancing manufacturing AI with Boston Dynamics, using its newly opened Robot Metaplant Application Center in the US, with an aim to deploy the Atlas humanoid robot directly onto HMGMA production lines by 2028.
To accelerate its push into SDVs, the company is also building a closed-loop “Data Flywheel” system that continuously collects data, optimizes AI models and deploys updates over-the-air.
hyejin2@heraldcorp.com