Hyundai Motor Group recently announced an extremely bold plan. They will bring humanoid robots, dubbed Atlas, into their US-based production lines. Atlas was originally created by Boston Dynamics for military applications. This collaborative robot joins human employees on the factory floor, expanding its capability to autonomously manage multiple machines. The company announced these moves at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) taking place in Las Vegas.
These Atlas humanoids will eventually be deployed to a new manufacturing plant coming to Georgia. Service is scheduled to start in 2028. Hyundai has a long-term plan to continue expanding the use of these robots and fully incorporate them into the workforce. This will empower them to take on increasingly ambitious work over time. This pilot program is symbolic of Hyundai’s relentless drive to improve production efficiencies and stay in step with rapidly evolving technology.
In a press statement, Hyundai’s chief executive, José Muñoz, stressed the transformational role that this investment would play. It fits neatly into their broader plan to create even more car manufacturing jobs in the U.S. The company is planning to invest more than $20 billion across a dozen different projects. First, they have doubled down on the promise of autonomous driving technology and artificial intelligence (AI). This change would further former President Donald Trump’s efforts to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.
Atlas was created to address some of the shortcomings that Hyundai has experienced. Most famously, a huge raid by U.S. immigration enforcement agents at one of its factories made headlines in September of 2025. The incident sparked a national furor in South Korea, particularly when reports circulated that trapped workers were having their legs bound. Following this unexpected backlash, Washington and Seoul quickly agreed to release the workers shortly after. The White House even had to call José Muñoz directly to say that they were sorry for the occurrence.
Hyundai’s investment into humanoid robotics aligns with trends seen across the automotive industry, particularly as competitors like Tesla make strides in this area. Elon Musk’s company has just poured $300 million into its humanoid robot, Optimus. This new decision signals the growing desire to automate more labor intensive processes.