Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) announced on Monday, that the Ellabell, Georgia, plant would start production in the fourth quarter of 2024 rather than the first quarter of 2025, as originally projected.
HMGMA's press release stated, "The official start of production has accelerated to the fourth quarter of 2024 with the grand opening celebration targeted for the first quarter of 2025."
A spokesperson for HMGMA said no further details would be shared at this time.
The news came as part of an event at the Georgia State Capitol that featured Gov. Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and José Muñoz, president and global COO of Hyundai Motor Company and president and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America. The Georgia general assembly also passed a resolution commending Hyundai Motor Group’s (HMG) dedication to the State of Georgia and recognized Feb. 26, 2024, as Hyundai Day.
Other officials who attended the event earlier Monday included Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns, Department of Economic Development Director Pat Wilson, local elected and economic officials from the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority (JDA), including Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) President Trip Tollison.
The release quotes Kemp as saying, “For decades, Hyundai Motor Group has been an incredible partner to our state, and we knew exactly what kind of historic benefits a project like this would bring to hardworking Georgians when we first began talks with HMG." T
he information shared details HMG's $7.59 billion investment in developing HMGMA, which is projected to create 8,500 jobs. HMGMA also cited the $5 billion EV battery cell plant in Bartow County, Georgia, that is projected to employ 3,500 workers.
A recent Center for Automotive Research study suggests that Hyundai’s investments in Georgia could create approximately 40,000 jobs and generate a potential $4.6 billion in individual earnings every year. The study also states that, "In Alabama, California, and Georgia – the states that received 97% of all new investments in 2021 – Hyundai and its independent dealers have created or contributed to 22,200, 19,200, and 9,600 jobs and generated $3.06 billion, $2.36 billion, $868 million in total earnings, respectively."
The governor's office released its own press release touting Hyundai's economic impact on the state. What remains unknown is how many employees HMGMA has officially hired and how many more it plans to hire by the start of production. A company spokesperson was not able to provide the employment data before this story was published.