Hyundai Motor Company announced that it will reinforce its commitment to producing the upcoming IONIQ 3 electric vehicle in Türkiye by establishing a dedicated battery assembly facility. The automaker’s planned mass production of the IONIQ 3, set to begin in August, represents its first electric-vehicle output in Europe and makes Hyundai the first foreign manufacturer to build battery-powered cars in Türkiye.
As part of a broader 715 million-euro investment package for its Turkish operations, Hyundai has earmarked 55 million euros for the new plant. In cooperation with Hyundai Mobis, the facility will rely on automated systems to assemble battery packs. Hyundai projects that the factory will generate more than 300 jobs during its initial phase and help cultivate local expertise in electric-vehicle technologies.
The plant, situated on a 30,000-square-meter site in the northwestern city of İzmit, will house 27 industrial robots and incorporate automated packaging processes to reduce manual handling. Battery cells using a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry will be sourced from Hungary, while lithium iron phosphate (LFP) packs for shorter-range IONIQ 3 variants will arrive fully assembled from China.
Hyundai expects to produce 27,000 IONIQ 3 units this year and forecasts output will exceed 40,000 vehicles by 2027. The İzmit facility, Hyundai’s first overseas manufacturing site, currently has an annual production capacity of 245,000 vehicles and assembles the i20 and Bayon models. Since opening in 1997, the plant has manufactured 3.3 million vehicles.
The IONIQ 3 is slated to roll off production lines in August and go on sale in Türkiye in September, offering customers two battery and powertrain configurations. Murat Berkel, Hyundai Motor Türkiye’s Sales, Marketing and After-Sales General Manager, described the investment as a significant milestone for both the country’s automotive industry and the company’s growth in the region.
Globally, Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest $90 billion by 2030, aiming to introduce 21 fully electric and 13 hybrid models to advance its electrification strategy.
Source: Daily Sabah (https://www.dailysabah.com/business/economy/hyundai-to-bolster-ioniq-3-investment-with-new-turkiye-battery-plant)
