On the southeast coast of South Korea there is an installation that has somewhat redefined what the mass production of cars means. And it is that the Hyundai plant in Ulsan is not only the largest vehicle factory in the world if we talk about extension, but has managed to integrate manufacturing, quality control and global distribution in such an efficient process that today is capable of producing a new car every ten seconds.
The figures speak for themselves. With a manufacturing capacity of 1.5 million vehicles annually, this installation almost doubles all the production of vehicles from countries such as Italy, which has around 23 different factories. To put this productive capacity in perspective, the ULASAN plant could have covered 98% of all sales of new cars in Italy during 2024.
Imagen: Hyundai
The secret is in integration. What makes Ulsan unique is not only its size, which reaches more than 485 hectares (the equivalent of 680 soccer fields), but its revolutionary concept: it is the only automotive plant in the world with its own integrated port. While other factories must transport their vehicles to external ports, here the cars pass directly from the production line to the ship, eliminating dead times and logistics costs.
Mass production. The installation houses five operational factories plus a motor and transmissions plant, with production lines that work 18 hours a day. 17 different models are manufactured, from the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson to the entire Genesis range. In fact, a sixth exclusive plant for electric vehicles will open during the first quarter of 2026 to produce genesis.
From the line to the ocean in minutes. After passing the quality controls, the newly finished vehicles are directed to a huge parking lot next to the dock. There, specialized drivers carry them on huge transport ships using steep ramps. Once the load is finished, these same drivers run away on foot and go up to an Hyundai Saria to go to the next vehicle lot.
Complete urban transformation. The magnitude of the project has completely transformed the region. When Hyundai began the construction in 1968, Ulsan was a fishing village of 30,000 inhabitants. Today it houses 1.1 million people, and has become the industrial center of South Korea. The presence of Hyundai is so significant that there is even a highway with the name of the company’s founder, and hospitals, schools and restaurants proudly carry the name of the brand.
Giant numbers. Every 24 hours a ship loaded from the port of Ulsan comes out. 75% of the annual production is exported to more than 200 countries, with destinations such as California, which receive up to 6,000 vehicles in a single ship after 13 days of crossing through the Pacific. The plant uses 34,000 people directly, more inhabitants than the entire city had when the factory was founded.
An unrepeatable model. “This unique way of producing and exporting cars saves as much money and time, and it is the key reason why Hyundai can manufacture so many vehicles every year,” said a plant responsible. An efficiency model that began in 1968 as a small assembly installation where Ford Cortina was assembled by hand, and today represents the cusp of large -scale automotive production.
Cover image | Hyundai
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