Hyundai Motor and Kia have collectively achieved a significant milestone in their international production, surpassing 3.68 million units in 2023. This figure, revealed in a recent Monday announcement, signifies the largest production volume since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating a robust recovery and expansion in their global manufacturing capabilities.
According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association’s recent data, the automotive giants from South Korea managed to produce a combined total of 3,678,831 vehicles at their 13 international manufacturing sites last year. Kia’s operations in the United States, China, Slovakia, Mexico, and India contributed to 1,435,762 of these vehicles. Hyundai Motor manufactured the remaining 2,243,069 units in eight different countries, including the United States, India, China, Turkey, Czech Republic, Brazil, Indonesia, and Singapore. This production represents a growth of 2.9 percent over the previous year, 2022, and marks the highest production level since 2019, before the pandemic.
India stood out as the top producer within this global network, with a total of 1.08 million vehicles, followed by significant contributions from the United States, China, and Slovakia, with production numbers of 727,000, 394,249, and 352,240 respectively. Notably, the production figures from China have shown a consistent decline from the 1.83 million units recorded in 2016.
A noteworthy aspect of the production landscape was the complete cessation of Hyundai Motor’s manufacturing activities in Russia last year, a stark contrast to the annual production of over 200,000 units from 2012 to 2022. The production halt was a direct consequence of the Ukrainian War, leading to a drastic reduction to about 40,000 units in 2022. In a new venture, Hyundai Motor initiated its first production run in Singapore, rolling out 595 vehicles from the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore, illustrating the company’s strategic expansion and adaptability to shifting global market trends.
