Posted on April 3, 2025
The largest development project in Georgia history is open for business and there could be something in it for South Carolina, too, says the president and CEO of the Palmetto State’s port system.
Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America on March 26 celebrated the official opening of a plant that will produce Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles in a giant facility west of Savannah in a town called Ellabell. The plant and joint battery venture with LG Energy Solution and SK On amounts to a $12.6 billion investment with 8,500 jobs at the site by 2031, according to Hyundai Motor Group.
The plant is near the Port of Savannah, which boasts two deep-water terminals and the largest single-terminal container facility of its kind in North America, is just a few miles from the plant. But the plant, which actually produced its first car last October, already has the capacity to create 300,000 vehicles per year, according to a Hyundai news release. And the group recently announced plans to expand capacity by another 200,000 vehicles. In addition, the company already has an assembly plant in western Georgia with a capacity to produce 340,000 vehicles.
That’s a lot of cars that need somewhere to go.
S.C. Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin said the opportunity is not lost on South Carolina’s ports system.
“Anytime that there is an infusion foreign direct investment into the United States, … particularly if it’s in the Southeast, there is an opportunity for South Carolina Ports to shine,” she said during a recent ceremony for the expansion of Inland Port Greer.
BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg County produced about 400,000 vehicles last year and exported nearly 225,000, most through the Port of Charleston but also through ports in Georgia, Maryland and Florida.
“We are a well-run port. We have invested in the necessary infrastructure to keep our customers’ supply chains flowing and we will offer those services (to the Hyundai plant),” Melvin said. “We will see what we get.”
HMG entered into an agreement with the state of Georgia in May 2022 to establish a cutting-edge electric and hybrid vehicle production and battery manufacturing facility in Ellabell. By June 2022, HMGMA was officially formed, and within four months, the company broke ground on the project, according to a news release.
On Oct. 3, 2024, less than two years after breaking ground, the first vehicle — a Hyundai IONIQ 5 — rolled off the assembly line, marking a new era for the Group’s U.S. operations. Hyundai’s IONIQ 9 three-row electric SUV is also now in production at HMGMA and will be joined in 2026 by the first Kia model to be built at the facility.
In addition to manufacturing electric vehicles for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia, the plant is also equipped to produce hybrid vehicles, the release stated.
The group’s total investments in Georgia are expected to create nearly 40,000 direct and indirect jobs, and $4.6 billion in individual earnings every year, according to the Center for Automotive Research.
The plant could mean employment opportunities for South Carolinians, too. BMW Manufacturing does not have prepared statistics on how far associates travel to work at the Greer plant, but a spokesperson said some come from as far south as Lexington, near Columbia, and others cross the state line from Toccoa and Hartwell in Georgia. The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America is just 37 miles of interstate driving from Hardeeville and about 45 to Bluffton.
By the end of 2024, more than $2.5 billion in capital investment and approximately 6,900 jobs had been announced by HMGMA suppliers in 12 counties across the state. That more than doubles the additional $1 billion investment by suppliers that was originally anticipated, according to the release.
In March, the group announced an investment of $21 billion in the U.S. from 2025 to 2028; $9 billion will be invested to establish an annual production capacity in the U.S. of 1.2 million vehicles. In addition to expanding capacity at the new plant, the group’s existing U.S. production sites — Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and Kia Autoland Georgia — will also see improvements in production facilities.
A total of $6 billion will be allocated to enhance the group’s parts and logistics business, as well as establishing an Electric Arc Furnace-based integrated steel mill in the U.S. through its affiliate, Hyundai Steel, with an annual steel production capacity of 2.7 million tons. The Louisiana mill will supply high-quality automotive steel plates to HMGMA when commercial steel production begins in 2029.
The group will invest an additional $6 billion to drive innovation and expand strategic partnerships with U.S. companies in areas including autonomous driving, robotics, artificial intelligence AI, and advanced air mobility, according to the release.
The company says its investments will create 14,000 direct jobs and another 86,000 indirect jobs.
