One step further:
Celebrating the historic milestone of 100 million vehicles produced
4 minute read
‘Everything starts at zero, but from zero, great things rise.’
In 1967, we took our first step in the automobile industry in South Korea, which was a barren land for cars. The following year, we established an assembly plant in Ulsan and began producing the Ford CORTINA. It was extraordinary for a company that had been founded less than a year to build a car factory and succeed in assembly-line production. Our great journey began right here.
And today, after more than 50 years, Hyundai Motor Company has surpassed the milestone of producing 100 million vehicles globally, just 57 years since its foundation. Achieving the production of 100 million vehicles at such a rapid pace is also extraordinary in the global automotive industry. However, our journey will continue. Together with the 100,000,001st vehicle, the IONIQ 5, we are taking another bold step towards future mobility.
A sincere effort to take “one step further”
Our Founding Chairman Ju-yung Chung always aspired for a better future, and recognized the social and economic significance of the automotive industry from an early stage. He longed to create cars “with our own hands.” The Pony, launched in 1975 as Korea’s first domestically produced vehicle and Hyundai Motor Company’s first mass-produced model, embodies this vision. With a desire for better, we have been striving towards our brand vision of “Progress for Humanity” for over 50 years and is consistently taking “one step further” to create better cars.
If we compare a country to the human body, the roads that spread across the land are like blood vessels, and cars are like blood circulating within them. Ju yung Chung, Founding Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group
Special exhibition “One step further”
Hyundai Motor Company will be hosting a special exhibition, “One step further”, at Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul starting from October 10th to celebrate the milestone of producing 100 million vehicles globally. This exhibition aims to reflect on the significance and driving forces behind the achievement of 100 million vehicles, as well as convey a message of gratitude to the customers who have been part of this journey.
Defying all expectations of impossibility, Hyundai has forged its own path with the belief in creating “cars and technology that are truly ours,” writing a history of numerous firsts: Korea’s first independently produced car, the first self-developed engine, and the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen vehicle. These bold and daring steps toward the future have evolved into Hyundai’s half-century journey, leaving traces in the lives of our customers — from their first car to their first family trip. Together, we now celebrate the moment of reaching 100 million units. This exhibition will allow visitors to revisit the evolution of production processes over the decades and the lives of customers who have been part of this journey. We can also explore Hyundai Motor Company’s first moments, not only with models like the CORTINA and the Pony but also with early models of key models such as SONATA, SCOUPE and ELANTRA. Through these, we will highlight how Hyundai has taken "one step further" with our unique designs, self-developed engines, automated processes, and expansion of overseas production bases.
100 million and one step further
In September, Hyundai Motor Company held a commemorative ceremony for the production of its 100,000,001st vehicle at the Ulsan Plant, where the company took its first step as an automaker. Initially established as an assembly plant for the Ford CORTINA, Ulsan Plant evolved into a fully operational automotive factory through the successful production of the Pony and experienced rapid growth with the implementation of automated processes. Today, Ulsan Plant stands as the world's largest automobile manufacturing plant and a cutting-edge base leading the future of mobility.
Hyundai Motor Company celebrates the production of the 100,000,001st vehicle, the IONIQ 5, not merely as a culmination of 100 million units but as the initiation of a new chapter in our journey. This moment signifies a pivotal "one step forward" into the electrification era, leveraging the foundation we have built over the years to embrace new challenges ahead.
Each and every employee at Hyundai Motor has contributed to the accumulation of 100 million units through their hard work and dedication. This auspicious occasion is just the first step toward the future era of electrification that Hyundai Motor will lead. Dong Seock Lee, President and Head of Domestic Productions and Chief Safety Office at Hyundai Motor Company
Another bold step towards future mobility
Since its founding in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company has rapidly surpassed a cumulative global production of 100 million vehicles in just 57 years. From our first produced vehicle, the CORTINA, to today's dedicated electric vehicle lineup, the IONIQ, Hyundai Motor Company has evolved from a latecomer to a leading mobility brand, thanks to the support of countless customers worldwide. With the production of the 100,000,001st vehicle, the IONIQ 5, we are taking another bold step forward, and we will continue to advance toward our vision of "Progress for Humanity."
Reaching global cumulative production of 100 million vehicles is a meaningful milestone that was possible thanks to our customers around the world who have chosen and supported Hyundai Motor since the very beginning. Taking on bold challenges and being in constant pursuit of innovation has enabled us to achieve rapid growth and will empower us to take ‘one step further’ toward another 100 million units as a mobility game changer. Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company
Follow @hyundai on Instagram for highlights of our 100-million-unit celebration.