Hyundai Motor Group says robot deployment not tied to Korean workers' strike

Hyundai Motor Company clarified that its plan to introduce the Atlas humanoid robot at the Metaplant America electric‑vehicle factory near Savannah, Georgia, by 2028 is not part of the current negotiations with the Hyundai Motor union in South Korea. The union’s demands focus on wage increases, bonuses and retirement age extensions, and the company stated that any future robot deployments will be decided after dialogue with employees and local operational needs.

At the San Francisco AI Summit, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung outlined a broader Physical AI vision, describing the Group’s move beyond automotive manufacturing into autonomous driving, robotics, AI‑defined factories and city‑level intelligent infrastructure. He announced strategic collaborations with technology partners such as NVIDIA, Waymo and Boston Dynamics to advance this roadmap.