Hyundai Has Built Its 100 Millionth Vehicle After 57 Years

Hyundai started in 1967, but their first car didn’t arrive in America until 1986

Hyundai has come a long way in the past few decades, transforming from a scrappy value-focused startup to one on par with the likes of Ford, General Motors, and Toyota. That’s clear once again today as the company is celebrating production of their 100 millionth vehicle.

The achievement was 57 years in the making, but comes little more than a decade after the 50 millionth vehicle was produced in 2013. As part of the festivities, the 100 millionth and first vehicle was delivered to its owner during a ceremony at the Ulsan Plant in South Korea.

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That facility is hugely important to Hyundai as it opened in 1968 and is billed as the “birthplace of the development of the Korean automobile industry.” Hyundai also noted the plant produced South Korea’s first mass-produced independent car, the Pony, in 1975.

The automaker curiously avoided a trip down memory lane, but the Hyundai Motor Company was incorporated in 1967 and began mass production of the Cortina the following year. As you can probably tell by the name, it was built in conjunction with Ford.

Fast forward to 1985 and Hyundai launched the first-generation Sonata as well as established Hyundai Motor America. The Excel landed in the United States the following year and quickly became a best seller.

By 1992, Hyundai had built 5 million vehicles and introduced their first concept known as the HCD-I. They acquired Kia Motors six years later and the rest, as they say, is history.

In a statement, Hyundai CEO Jaehoon Chang said “Reaching global cumulative production of 100 million vehicles is a meaningful milestone that was possible thanks to our customers around the world who have chosen and supported Hyundai Motor since the very beginning.” He added, “Taking on bold challenges and being in constant pursuit of innovation has enabled us to achieve rapid growth and will empower us to take ‘one step further’ toward another 100 million units as a mobility game changer.”