Hyundai Motor Group plans to roll out human-like robots in its factories starting in 2028. This effort to increase production efficiency and spur innovation in domestic manufacturing is long overdue. On Monday, the company introduced its humanoid robot, Atlas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Boston Dynamics is responsible for this remarkable invention. This new initiative makes sense considering Hyundai’s recent promise to invest $10 billion in advanced technologies such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (AI).
That announcement signals Hyundai’s plan to greatly increase its production of EVs and vehicles in general in the United States. The firm has plans to invest over $20 billion (£15.5 billion) in its U.S. operations. This implementation is squarely in line with former President Donald Trump’s push to enhance domestic manufacturing. This investment is projected to result in the creation of more than 8,000 new jobs and help position the company to compete more effectively in the changing automotive marketplace.
Hyundai’s chief executive, José Muñoz, emphasized the importance of this investment by saying, Commenting on the tough times that company has endured recently, With the agreement having entered into force in September 2025, U.S. immigration officers raided a Hyundai plant. They jailed thousands of workers with hundreds of those in jail being foreign workers—more than 300 were South Korean citizens. The incident caused a nationwide uproar in South Korea, in large part because of reports that workers were chained at the time of their arrests. After the outcry, the White House then contacted Muñoz directly to say that they were sorry that had happened.
Muñoz’s concerns were echoed by his South Korean counterpart, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. They are worried that these new punitive actions will deter meaningful foreign investment into the U.S. market. In light of such challenges, Hyundai continues with its ambitious expansion plans, simultaneously advancing technologies such as Atlas. Designed for wide-ranging industrial applications, Atlas is a general-purpose robot. It will, little-by-little, begin to assume a greater role in the overall manufacturing process.
Hyundai is betting big on the trend by adding humanoid robots to its production lines. In tandem with this industry shift, major automotive companies—including Tesla—are racing to grab the latest, greatest technologies. This competition is a small representation of the industry’s broader movement towards advanced manufacturing and automated smart manufacturing solutions.
