Inside Hyundai Metaplant Where IONIQ 5 & IONIQ 9 Are Built

TL;DR

A tour of Hyundai's Georgia Metaplant reveals a heavily automated, eerily quiet EV-exclusive factory building the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9.

Key Points

• 1.Hyundai Metaplant America is a 3,000-acre EV-exclusive facility near Savannah, Georgia. It currently produces the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9, with plans to expand to Kia and Genesis models, targeting up to 10 models and 500,000 vehicles annually.
• 2.The factory is strikingly quiet due to heavy automation. Roughly half the factory's operations are robotic, including Boston Dynamics Spot robots that use AI cameras to inspect weld quality and wire placement before vehicles advance to the next stage.
• 3.Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robots conduct pilot testing at this plant. Hyundai owns Boston Dynamics and plans to continue scaling robotics, while insisting human 'MetaPros' remain a vital part of the workforce.
• 4.The assembly process flows from stamping through paint shop to general assembly. Hyundai Steel supplies steel processed on-site; robots handle structural tasks like attaching the battery and powertrain, while MetaPros handle trim, wiring, and interior assembly.
• 5.Every vehicle is tested on an on-site track before shipping. MetaPros run a ~12-minute quality check covering AC, radio, horn, brakes, alignment pull test, regen levels, Belgian cobblestone road noise, emergency park brake, and auto-hold — one worker completes 40–50 cars per day.
• 6.The plant makes IONIQ 5s eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit due to US manufacturing. Hyundai states the factory was planned regardless of the tax credit, but domestic production made the incentive a bonus; the IONIQ 5N remains Korea-exclusive.
• 7.Hyundai and Waymo have an agreement to produce up to 50,000 Waymo IONIQ 5 robotaxis by 2028. About 90% will be built at this Georgia plant, with the remaining 10% upfitted in Arizona before being handed to Waymo.
• 8.An on-site LG battery cell plant is under construction and will supply cells directly to the factory. Additionally, hydrogen-powered semi-trucks built by Hyundai transport materials across the campus; they carry 500 hp, two fuel cells, and achieve roughly 450-mile range even under a 35,000 lb payload.