Interview at Pune factory inauguration

'We want to grow together with India'

'Focused on localization… EV market will take another 5 years'

'We will take it step by step on EVs'

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Hyundai Motor India CEO Tarun Garg walk through the venue of the Pune factory inauguration ceremony. [Hyundai Motor Group]
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Hyundai Motor India CEO Tarun Garg walk through the venue of the Pune factory inauguration ceremony. [Hyundai Motor Group]

"It has been 30 years since we entered India. The completion of the new Pune factory will be a very important milestone."

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung made the remarks Wednesday (local time) after the inauguration ceremony of the new Pune factory in Talegaon, Maharashtra, in west-central India, telling reporters that the group aims to "become a company that grows together with India by continuing to invest across various industries beyond automobiles."

Chung met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (local time) and announced a large-scale medium-to-long-term investment plan of about 21 trillion won ($15.7 billion) through 2032. He said he told Modi the group would "provide better-quality and safer vehicles" and added that, as electric vehicle adoption grows in India, Hyundai Motor would "cooperate with local Indian companies in the EV and battery sectors to build better vehicles."

He added that he also discussed providing public transportation options such as buses and subways locally, as well as infrastructure construction experience and future areas including energy, robotics and AI, saying the group plans to develop each of these areas one by one.

Wednesday also marked the sixth anniversary of Chung's appointment as chairman. Reflecting on the occasion, he said, "Six years passed so fast — I honestly don't know how it went by. Counting by the numbers, it's been six years, and it's thanks to all our employees working together that we were able to make even a little progress. There have been ups and downs, but I believe our most important asset is our people."

He went on to say, "I see it as my mission to pour every effort into helping our people grow further and to stay ahead in technology and quality," adding, "Time keeps passing, and I will work even harder to make our company grow in a more meaningful way."

On plans to use AI at the new Pune factory and strategies to capture the Indian EV market, Chung said AI is "already being used extensively in our office operations and factory quality control," and that it "will be applied in the same way for quality management not only at the new Pune factory but at other new factories as well."

He also said that charging infrastructure for electric vehicles remains insufficient in India, and that expanding it would require bringing in charging systems from overseas operations and working with the government. "This is not something we can do alone," he said. "Where cooperation is needed with local or international automakers, we will do that."

Chung also signaled a commitment to working with suppliers. "Many of our partner companies have already come into India," he said. "There are strong demands to raise the local content ratio, so we will put our heads together with our suppliers and look for ways to succeed together on that front."

Chung also addressed the group's medium-to-long-term strategy for the Indian market. "India still lacks infrastructure in many areas, so we need to collaborate with a wide range of companies," he said, adding that the group would continue to work with various local firms. He said localization is the top priority and that the group would push ahead with it across many areas, including batteries, to sustain the current momentum.

On the local EV market, he said, "I don't think the EV market in India can happen overnight. I expect it will take about five more years, so we will take it step by step."


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