Hyundai Motor, which will mark the 40th anniversary of its entry into the United States next year, is preparing for a new leap forward using the U.S., the world’s largest market, as a springboard.

Hyundai first entered the U.S. market in 1986 by exporting the “Excel,” the first domestically produced front‑wheel‑drive passenger car manufactured at its Ulsan plant. With a strategy centered on reasonable pricing, it sold 160,000 units in its first year and more than 260,000 units the following year, capturing the attention of U.S. consumers.

However, in the early years, the company faced a crisis as its brand image was damaged by insufficient quality control and a lack of service networks. Honorary Chairman Chung Mong‑koo subsequently pushed for structural reform by putting “quality management,” focused on enhancing quality, safety and performance, at the forefront. In particular, the “10‑year/100,000‑mile warranty” policy introduced in 1999 is regarded as a decisive turning point in squarely overcoming quality controversies.

As a result of such strategies, Hyundai is now recording top‑tier scores in major quality and safety evaluations in the U.S. Hyundai Motor Group this year achieved the largest number of “safest car” selections for the second consecutive year, as a total of 21 models received TSP+ and TSP ratings in crash safety assessments announced by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

In addition, in the “2025 Initial Quality Study (IQS)” conducted by U.S. data analytics company J.D. Power, the group achieved the best overall score among 17 global automotive groups. This effectively demonstrated its competitiveness in an assessment that U.S. consumers use as a key indicator when purchasing vehicles.

The brand’s stature has also risen significantly. Hyundai Motor Group has been named “World Car of the Year” for four consecutive years, and U.S. automotive media outlet Automotive News, marking the 100th anniversary of its founding, selected the group’s three generations of leadership—founder and Honorary Chairman Chung Ju‑yung, Honorary Chairman Chung Mong‑koo and Chairman Chung Euisun—as figures who have had a major impact on the global automotive industry.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun stressed, “Founder Chung Ju‑yung’s customer‑centric management philosophy and Honorary Chairman Chung Mong‑koo’s belief in quality, safety and R&D are the foundation of Hyundai Motor Group’s management philosophy.”

Backed by these efforts, Hyundai sold about 896,000 units in the U.S. market between January and November this year and is on the verge of breaking its annual sales record for the third consecutive year. Despite tariff burdens on automobiles during the Trump administration, the company is assessed to have responded flexibly to market changes by minimizing price increases while expanding local production and adjusting its sales mix.

In March, Hyundai Motor Group held a completion ceremony for “Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA),” a state‑of‑the‑art production base in Georgia, and began establishing an annual production system of 1.2 million units in the U.S. It also plans to invest a total of USD 21 billion in the U.S. by 2028 in automobiles, parts, logistics, steel and future industries.

Regarding the negative factor of the termination of U.S. electric vehicle subsidies last October, the company demonstrated its crisis response capabilities by expanding its hybrid lineup to broaden consumer choice. However, a 15% tariff burden that remains even after negotiations between South Korea and the U.S., intensifying EV competition led by Tesla and Chinese manufacturers, subsidy reductions, and competition in autonomous driving and SDVs (software‑defined vehicles) still remain as challenges.

An industry insider said, “The United States is Hyundai’s largest export market and a key stage that leads global automotive industry trends,” adding, “Under Chairman Chung Euisun’s leadership, attention is focused on whether Hyundai can overcome these challenges and achieve yet another leap forward in the U.S. market.”

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