Like it or not, tariffs may have some upsides as far as American manufacturing goes. Speaking to media and the world at the 2026 New York Auto Show, Hyundai Motor Company CEO José Muñoz elaborated on major plans for expansion in the United States.
In the next two years, the company will invest more in US operations than it has in the previous 40. That will culminate in a flood of new jobs. And when all is said and done, 80% of Hyundai cars sold in the US will be built in the US. Considering Hyundai just announced yet another record sales achievement for the first quarter of 2026, it seems the company is in a good position to make it all happen.
"America Is Our Home"
Hyundai presently has just two major manufacturing plants in America. Its large facility in Montgomery, Alabama opened its doors in 2005 and currently assembles the Santa Fe and Tucson, along with the Santa Cruz small truck and the Genesis GV70. The second factory in Georgia is considerably newer, having opened barely a year ago to build electric and electrified vehicles. Presently, only the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 are assembled there.
Beyond that, Hyundai has numerous smaller facilities around the US, and plans are in motion to build a new steel mill in Louisiana. It's part of a plan that will see Hyundai invest $26 billion, creating 25,000 new jobs in the process.
"From Alabama to California, Georgia and Michigan, America is our home.... We’ve invested well over $20 billion here since 1986 to make this possible. We are doubling down, expanding our expectations and our operations and bringing more products to the US. That’s why we are investing an additional $26 billion here through 2028. This will create 25,000 new direct jobs on top of the 570,000 jobs that Hyundai Motor Group currently supports here."
José Muñoz, Hyundai Motor Company president and CEO
58 New Or Updated Models By 2030, Most Built In The US
Hyundai previously announced plans to have 36 new or updated models in the US in the next few years. At the 2026 New York Auto Show, Muñoz added 22 more to the total courtesy of the company's luxury brand, Genesis. Basic math brings us to 58, and to achieve that goal, it seems Hyundai has no choice but to invest and expand. And while tariffs were never mentioned during Hyundai's 20-minute press conference, investing big in the US would certainly alleviate some of those ever-changing fees.
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
