Inside The Largest Automobile Plant In The World

Pop quiz. What’s the largest automotive manufacturing plant in the world? If you answered anything other than Hyundai Motor Group’s (HMG) massive setup in Ulsan, Korea, you are wrong. 

Although Hyundai may not be the first guess for many—me included—it makes sense, as HMG is the third largest automobile producer in the world, having sold 7.23 million cars in 2024. Of those, 1.52 million came out of the Ulsan plant alone. 

It’s Big, Like Really Big

Constantly expanding and upgrading, the Ulsan facility currently covers nearly 54 million square feet (5 million square meters), which, I’m told, is roughly 700 soccer fields. With 31,000 employees, the plant can produce 4,500 vehicles a day for export to 200 countries.

Technically, HMG’s complex in Ulsan isn’t a single plant but a multitude of production lines all within one enclosed complex. Each of these plants run what is called a flex line, meaning a production line that can produce multiple vehicles at once. For example, during my visit, Genesis G70s were running down the line, interspersed within a field of Hyundai Palisades. 

For an extra dose of flexibility, the line can assemble vehicles for different export countries concurrently. That means a G70 built for Germany might be followed by a Palisade built for Canada. This requires extra planning as parts, finishes, and components can differ from region to region. Despite the added complexity, during my visit, large overhead screens displayed the current UPH (units produced per hour) for the plant, which was running at 26.7.

Exporting from Within

The main reason why the Ulsan facility can manufacture so many vehicles has to do with its geographical location. Perched right on the sea in Ulsan, HMG has a shipping port built within its premises. That means the manufacturer can essentially drive vehicles off the assembly line, right onto a ship; a huge benefit saving time and money.

At present, two to three ships can dock at the plant a day, each carting off 5,000 to 6,000+ units, depending on vehicle size. During my visit, we got the incredibly rare opportunity to tour one of these ships, and the entire operation was quite impressive. 

Aboard the Morning Christina

Called the Morning Christina, the ship we boarded was built in 2010 and has 11 car-carrying decks. Docked at the port, the ballasts are empty, and the ship sits imposingly high off the water as it gets loaded. 

With 10,000-18,000 cars getting shipped out each day, time is money, and the drivers enthusiastically maneuver the vehicles across the loading dock, up the ramp, and onto the ship. A shuttle van follows shortly thereafter to whatever deck is being filled, collects the drivers, and heads back on shore to grab more. This is repeated for hours a day until each ship is full. 

Once loaded, the captain informed us the 21-person crewed ship would make it from Ulsan, Korea, to California, USA in 13 days, assuming no major weather delays. The ship is then emptied before heading back to Ulsan for the next load.

When I think about how many of these towering ships are doing the exact same thing, day after day, the scale of the world’s largest manufacturing facility really sinks in. 

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