Hyundai halting its plant operations in S. Korea to prepare for EV production

Hyundai Motor Co. revealed on Friday, July 9, that it had ceased operations in seven of its plants in South Korea. The automaker announced that it would be suspending the production of electric vehicles in these factories for four weeks.

Cause of the plant temporary closures

According to Yonhap News Agency, Hyundai Motor will be temporarily closing its plants for the needed upgrades of the facilities. The move comes as the company is preparing to mass-produce its IONIQ 6 electric vehicle model.

It was reported that the Korean automaker will be suspending the operations of its plant in Asan starting Tuesday until Aug. 6. While closed, the company will renovate the facility so it can accommodate the requirements for building Hyundai’s EV models.

The firm’s spokesman said that the EV production for IONIQ 6 is expected to begin before the year ends. It was shared that Hyundai Motor’s plant in Asan is specifically producing the Santa Fe SUV and the Sonata sedans. The plant is producing 300,000 units of these models per year.

In any case, Hyundai Motor will be introducing its IONIQ 6 next year, and by 2024, the IONIQ 7, which is a bigger SUV, will follow. Apparently, the company is naming its electric vehicles using alphanumeric names like a series from 1 to 8.

Currently, Hyundai has five plants in Ulsan, one in Jeonju, and one in Asan. It is also operating 10 other factories overseas that include four in China and one each in Turkey, Russia, the United States, Czech Republic, Brazil, and India.

Hyundai resumes production after suspension due to chip shortage

Meanwhile, the new temporary halting of production in Asan is the second one since June. In fact, The Korea Herald reported that the company just resumed its plant operation in the third week of June, and now, it was closed again.

At that time, Hyundai Motor Co. had to shut its production facilities due to chip and other car parts shortages. It was said that the short suspension caused the company to lose 1,027 vehicles. Meanwhile, the chip shortages continue to this day, and many technology and auto companies are affected, with businesses incurring huge losses.