Hyundai sets new Q1 total and retail sales record; and best March ever. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – April 3, 2025 Hyundai Ellabell, GA Automotive Plant Grand Opening \ Last month, Hyundai announced it will be making a significant $21-billion USD investment in the US from 2025 to 2028. The CapEx commitment will expand its localized manufacturing capabilities, advancing future technologies, and enhancing energy infrastructure. This latest U.S. investment announcement more than doubles the $20.5 billion USD the OEM has allocated to US manufacturing since entering the U.S. market in 1986. In detail, it looks like this to start. In late March, Hyundai’s new Metaplant (HMGMA) hosted its Grand Opening celebration, as part of Hyundai’s commitment to the U.S. Hyundai entered into a landmark agreement with the State of Georgia in May of 2022 to build cutting-edge electric and hybrid vehicle production and battery manufacturing facility in Ellabell, Georgia, 20 miles outside of Savannah. By June 2022, HMGMA was officially formed, and within four months, the company broke ground on the project, setting an unprecedented pace for development. In October of 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 OEMs 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. The plants completion was one of the largest economic development projects in Georgia’s history, just two and a half years after breaking ground. A new $5.8-billion Hyundai steel plant in Louisiana is set to hire more than 1,400 employees and will produce next-generation steel that will be used by Hyundai’s Montgomery, AL and West Point, GA U.S. auto plants to manufacture electric vehicles. Hyundai’s announcements came as major international OEMs were racing to dodge US tariffs and avoid a trade war. South Korea was one of the countries with which the U.S. carries a large trade deficit. In early March, Trump singled out South Korea saying the Asian ally’s tariffs were four times higher than those on products from the US. Hyundai Q1 2025 US Sales Overview Hyundai reported Q1 2025 US sales of 203,554 vehicles, up 10.1% over the 184,804 sold in Q1 of 2024. Hyundai extending its record-breaking sales streak to six months and achieved the best US Q1 performance in company history. Hyundai Q1 2025 US Sales Highlights In Q1, Hyundai set new total sales records for Santa Fe, Tucson, Palisade, and the IONIQ 5. Electrified total sales were up 38% with hybrid-electric total sales up 68%. Hyundai electric vehicle total sales increased by 3%. Hyundai Q1 2025 US Sales Highlights Ioniq 5: 8,611 sold, up 26.2% over the 6,822 sold in Q1 of 2024 Santa Fe: 31,401 sold, up 20.3% over the 26,094 sold in Q1 of 2024 Palisade: 26,235 sold, up 3.9% over the 25,255 sold in Q1 of 2024 US Q1 2025 Automotive Sales Overview A recap of the overall sales results can be found here: US Q1 2025 Automobile Sales: 3.91 million Vehicles Sold, up 5.7%
