The state-of-the-art facility, 200km south-east of Beijing, becomes Hyundai's fourth in China and is equipped with press, body, paint and assembly lines as well as an engine plant. Initial capacity is 200,000 units with the first model being Verna Yuena, a smart urban family sedan developed by Hyundai for the Chinese market.
Constructed on a 1.92m sq.m. site, with a floor area of 250,000 sq.m, the flexible production system features 100% fully-automated a bodyline with 299 robots and a comprehensive recycling system, including recycling gas emissions, water and waste.
Hyundai Motor chairman Chung Mong-Koo said, “Completion of our Cangzhou Plant is the foundation that enables Hyundai Motor to make a new leap forward in China. Together, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors can now produce up to 2.4m cars annually in China with plants in operation at eight strategic Chinese sites.”
By opening another new plant, Hyundai hopes to seize the initiative in the incrementally-competitive Chinese market led by its ‘New Plant, New Model and New Strategy’ programme. The Cangzhou plant opens just four years after Hyundai Motor’s third plant began operations in Beijing in 2012. Hyundai see Cangzhou’s competitive edge lying in its proximity to its own logistics base at Tianjin Port, existing parts suppliers as well as China’s capital city.
