Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA; sometimes HMG Metaplant America or the Hyundai Metaplant[1]) is an electric vehicle (EV) production site operated by Hyundai located in Ellabell, Bryan County, Georgia, United States. The $7.6billion site is located along Interstate16 about 25 miles (40 km) from downtown Savannah, with over 16 million square feet (1.5 million m2) of factory floor space. The campus will also produce batteries in a joint venture with LG Energy Solution at an additional, under-construction factory.
History and construction
The land occupied by HMGMA was previously designated by Bryan County as the Bryan County Mega Site. Volvo had considered the area for a new manufacturing plant in 2015, but ultimately built a factory in South Carolina instead.[2] Six years later, with hopes of successfully attracting a large manufacturer or an automaker, the area was purchased in 2021 for $61million by the state of Georgia, Bryan and Chatham counties, and the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority;[a] the deal combined three separately-owned parcels of land. The site lies directly off of Interstate16, with existing ClassI rail links and close access to Interstate 95 and the Port of Savannah.[4]
By September 2024, more than 800 workers had been hired to work at HMGMA.[14] Full production at HMGMA began in October 2024;[6] the first model produced was the 2025 Ioniq5.[6][9][7]
Around the area, 17 suppliers have announced new factories to support the Hyundai plant, which combined will invest an additional estimated total of $2.7billion and employ another 7,000 workers;[9] manufacturers include Hanon Systems, PHA,[17] Seoyon E-HWA, and Woory Industrial.[13]
Operation
Hyundai calls the plant a "Metaplant" and its employees "Meta Pros".[14][9] According to the company, "the prefix 'meta' can mean transformative or transcending. Using those definitions, the Metaplant will transform the definition of what an automotive plant is".[18]
According to Hyundai, the factory uses autonomous vehicles instead of conveyor belts to move vehicle bodies.[14]
Hyundai expects around 70% of completed vehicles to be shipped by rail via the Georgia Central Railway, and constructed an additional rail siding to handle the volume of autorack cars.[19]
A 2024 investigation by Savannah television station WTOC11 found that during construction of the plant, from April 2023 to July 2024, 53 injuries were reported with 14 of them described as "traumatic"; at least one worker died.[22] The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) opened more than a dozen investigations, and various subcontractors have been sued or fined for safety violations.[22]
Water
In October 2024, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division approved withdrawals of 6.625 million gallons of water per day from the Floridan aquifer, allowing for the drilling of four new wells in Bulloch County.[23][9] This is a temporary solution as Bryan County is legally required to implement an alternative water source for HMGMA within 25 years.[5]
