Hyundai opens innovation centre in Singapore

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and a Robotaxi offshoot of the Ioniq 5 are already being produced there, and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 will also be manufactured there from next year, according to the Koreans. The plant will also serve as a test environment for the development of future mobility solutions – including Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs) – “thanks to its advanced production capacities”.

Although the high number of robots in the plant is emphasized, the HMGICS will implement a “human-centered manufacturing approach” that “takes collaboration between humans, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to a new level of synchronization”, according to Hyundai. With digital twins, not only should quality control be particularly tight, but the company also wants to “ensure an extremely fast response to changing customer requirements and production demands”.

Production itself is being converted from assembly line logic to a “cell-based production system”. In their protected cells, the robots take over assembly, inspection and organization of the production facilities and take care of more than 60 percent of component process management, ordering and transport. “This frees humans from repetitive and tedious tasks and allows them to concentrate on more creative and productive tasks,” is how the Koreans describe their approach. What’s more, this should also make it easier to implement individual customer configurations.

“It seeks to completely redefine the very concept of manufacturing,” says Euisun Chung, CEO of the Hyundai Motor Group. “We thought hard about how to meet the diverse needs of our many customers. By combining our manufacturing expertise and the latest cutting-edge technologies, the result is this Innovation Center – a new paradigm of manufacturing.”

There are no details about the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi in the press release. However, there are some changes to the vehicle to accommodate the extensive sensor technology. A large sensor unit has been placed on the roof. The closed panel between the headlights has also been removed at the front to accommodate several large sensors.

Update 19 July 2024

Hyundai now also produces its Ioniq 6 in Singapore. The electric saloon is manufactured at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS) – just like the Ioniq 5 and its Robotaxi offshoot before it. Hyundai opened the innovation centre in Singapore in November 2023. It was already announced at the time that the Ioniq 6 would also be manufactured there from 2024.

There are no changes to the electric drive compared to the version built in South Korea, but there are changes elsewhere. “Unique to the made-in-Singapore car, local production also allows for enhanced connectivity features like Bluelink connectivity with Connected Car Services and OTA software updates. With Connected Car Services, the made-in-Singapore IONIQ 6 will deliver seamless connectivity through online voice recognition and a wide range of features for a more convenient and enjoyable driving experience,” says Hyundai.

hyundai.news, hyundai.com (update)