We’re not waiting for the future. We’re creating it.

Earlier this year, in a small room in a county courthouse, I raised my right hand and pledged to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

After 12 years living in California and Tennessee, I became a U.S. citizen.

To be sure, I will always be a Muñoz de Madrid, and I will always cheer for my “Los Blancos,” the Premiere League’s Real Madrid football team, but America is now my home. I have dual passports. In some ways, Hyundai also has dual passports.

We started as a Korean company that happens to be global. Today, we’re a global company that happens to be Korean. Here in America, we’re an American company. We began our journey here as an importer of small cars. Step by step, by listening to customers, investing in product, working with dealers, engaging in our communities, and understanding what Americans want, we’ve become part of the fabric of this country. We’ve had our North American headquarters in California for almost 40 years. In Alabama, more than 3,000 women and men have built 5.7 million vehicles over the past 20 years.

In Michigan, we recently opened a $51 million Safety Test and Investigation Lab. We’re investing $7.59 billion and creating more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs in Georgia to build an all-electric vehicle Metaplant in Bryan County.

According to a new economic impact study conducted by the Center for Automotive Research, Hyundai and its dealers are responsible for creating 190,000 jobs in America, contributing more than $20 billion dollars in economic impact in America, EVERY YEAR. With our planned investments there are more than 62,000 additional jobs coming to America. From the coasts and across the heartland, more than 850 Hyundai and Genesis dealers are pillars of their communities.

We’ve joined forces with our retail partners with the moon-shot goal to help end childhood cancer. We recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Hyundai Hope On Wheels, our philanthropic initiative to help find a cure for pediatric cancer. This year we committed $25 million dollars for a total of $225 million since the program’s inception.

Our business continues to grow in America and globally.

Today, Hyundai Motor Group is the third biggest automaker in the world.

North America has become our biggest region, accounting for nearly a quarter of global sales.

Here in the U.S., Hyundai Motor Company, which includes Hyundai, Genesis and KIA, is number three in sales.

We continue to invest in great products and the world is taking notice. A headline from The Wall Street Journal says it all: “How Did Hyundai Get So Cool?”

MotorTrend writes that Hyundai “Became the World’s Hottest Automaker.”

The prestigious World Car of the Year Jury recognized Hyundai with an unprecedented three World Car of the Year awards this year.

We have a strong point of view about the future of mobility from autonomous vehicles and hydrogen-powered cars and trucks to air taxis and exoskeletons to assist those with mobility challenges.

There is a lot of talk in the industry about how automakers are transforming to mobility companies. At Hyundai, we’re walking the talk. We’re changing the way people and goods move.

And we’re doing it sustainably. We’re committed to carbon neutrality by 2045. The air we breathe and the oceans that sustain life don’t have bordersor passports.

We have the unwavering belief that as an automaker, it’s our obligation to be more active when responding to climate change than companies in other industries. By transitioning to electrification, supporting a hydrogen economy and helping create smart cities, we are helping society move closer to carbon neutrality.

Under the direction of our visionary Executive Chair, I have no doubt Hyundai will be part of the change the world needs.

With our success in this great country, Hyundai is not only realizing its own American Dream, we’re also helping tens of thousands of Americans achieve theirs as well.

José Muñoz
President and Global COO, Hyundai Motor Company
President and CEO, Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America

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