Hyundai Motor to launch world's first large-scale robot factory in 2028, supply Waymo with robotaxis this year

Ioniq 5 robotaxis to be delivered to Waymo in second half of year

Motional to launch driverless service through Uber by year-end

Partnership with Waymo to expand into global markets

Atlas humanoid robots to be deployed at HMGMA in 2028

US robot factory to have annual capacity of 30,000 units

Initial committed volume of 25,000 units already secured

Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor, presents at the automaker's 2026 CEO Investor Day held at Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor Group is expanding its business scope into physical AI — producing and selling robotaxis and robots directly. The group plans to begin commercializing Ioniq 5-based robotaxis this year, deploy its Atlas humanoid robot on production lines starting in 2028, and launch mass production of robots in the United States at an annual capacity of 30,000 units. An initial committed volume of 25,000 units has already been secured.

Hyundai Motor unveiled the robotaxi- and robotics-centered future mobility strategy at its 2026 CEO Investor Day, held Wednesday at Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido.

"Autonomous driving has the potential to exponentially improve safety and convenience, and at the same time holds enormous revenue potential," said Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor. "Through our autonomous vehicle foundry business, we are developing scalable robotaxis, and the starting point is the autonomous driving-capable Ioniq 5."

The robotaxi business is on the verge of commercialization. Motional, Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous driving joint venture, plans to launch a driverless commercial ride service in Las Vegas this year in partnership with Uber. Users will be able to hail an Ioniq 5-based robotaxi through the Uber app.

An Ioniq 5 autonomous vehicle to be supplied to Google's Waymo. [The Korea Herald]

Collaboration with Waymo is also entering the delivery phase. Hyundai Motor plans to hand over Ioniq 5-based robotaxis — produced at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia — to Waymo in the second half of this year.

"We have completed public road testing over the past nine months," Munoz said. "Delivery of the autonomous Ioniq 5 is ready for Waymo to deploy in the second half of this year." He added that the company plans to expand its partnership with Waymo into global markets.

Hyundai Motor's ambitions in the robotaxi space go beyond simple vehicle sales. The company aims to expand into an autonomous vehicle foundry — developing and producing customized vehicles for autonomous driving technology firms and mobility platform operators. It plans to participate across the entire autonomous driving ecosystem by combining the autonomous driving technologies of Motional and 42dot with the group's components, financial and service capabilities.

Robot training center RMAC to expand tenfold; Atlas deployment set for 2028

The robotics business is moving further ahead, with preparations underway for mass production and sales.

"Hyundai Motor is now transforming into a physical AI company," Munoz said. "We are moving faster than our competitors, with the goal of mass-producing and deploying robotics."

The commercial launchpad is the Robot Metaplant Application Center, or RMAC, in the United States. Hyundai Motor Group opened the RMAC in June and has been testing AI robots for manufacturing in an environment that closely mirrors an actual vehicle production facility.

The center is currently testing applicability across five vehicle models and 67 task categories — including sequencing, overhead work, high-repetition tasks and quality inspection. It serves as a robot training ground, accumulating data and training AI before robots are introduced to actual factory floors.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand the RMAC site to 10 times its current size by year-end. The goal is to accumulate millions of hours of real manufacturing data to validate robot performance and secure the technology needed for deployment on production lines.

Full-scale on-site deployment begins in 2028. Hyundai Motor Group plans to introduce Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot at scale on HMGMA production lines, then extend its application to global facilities from 2030.

On the purpose of introducing robots, Munoz said, "Robots exist to help humans — they will take over difficult and repetitive tasks and ultimately contribute to improvements in safety, quality and operational efficiency." He added that robots would not replace humans but could also create new job categories, such as robot maintenance.

The Genesis GV80 Hybrid — the brand's first hybrid model — on display at Hyundai Motor's 2026 CEO Investor Day at Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Hyundai Motor]

From development to financing — bringing the entire robot business in-house

Hyundai Motor Group's ambitions extend beyond using robots in its own factories — the group plans to industrialize robotics as a standalone business.

The group will build a large-scale commercial robot production facility in the United States and begin production in 2028, with an annual capacity of 30,000 units. The specific production site is to be announced by year-end.

"We believe this will be the world's first large-scale commercial robot manufacturing facility," Munoz said. "The initial committed volume of 25,000 units has already been confirmed." The group plans to expand its customer base from HMGMA to external industrial and logistics companies.

Boston Dynamics already produces the four-legged robot Spot and the logistics robot Stretch, and will move to mass-produce Atlas as well.

Boston Dynamics' next-generation electric Atlas development model, unveiled at the Hyundai Motor Group media day during CES 2026 in Las Vegas in January. [Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group's strength lies in going beyond robot manufacturing alone. The group plans to build a business structure covering every stage — from robot development and production to retail, sales and financing.

"A potential distribution network for robot sales is already in place through our existing dealer partnerships, and Hyundai Capital is also examining the feasibility of financial products for robot sales," Munoz said. "Robotics development, production, retail, sales and financing — this is the powerful strength of Hyundai Motor Group."

The robotics business is also tied to the group's large-scale US investment plan. The group plans to invest a total of $26 billion in the United States between 2025 and 2028 and create approximately 25,000 new jobs. The plan covers not only expanded vehicle production capacity and a new Hyundai Steel plant in Louisiana, but also the robot production facility.

Hyundai Motor Group's strategy is to grow robotaxis and humanoid robots into new revenue streams beyond its automotive business. "The automotive business will still account for the largest share, but what will change is the business surrounding the automobile," Munoz said of the future mobility industry. "Software and connectivity, on-demand mobility and robotics are all growing."

kwater@heraldcorp.com