From its origins in several plants across Korea, Hyundai’s production network now stretches into all continents. Vehicles and powertrains are manufactured in China, India, US, Brazil, Turkey, Russia and central Europe. A key element of the network is Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC). Wholly-owned by the Hyundai Motor Company, HMMC began volume production in November 2008 with the first generation i30 on that back of Hyundai’s initial €1.12 billion ($1.25 billion) outlay. With an additional €400m ploughed in over the decade since, HMMC represents the Czech Republic’s biggest ever foreign investment.

What began as a blank canvas for Hyundai is now one of the most modern and versatile automotive production plants in the world, fully integrated with capacity of up to 350,000 units per annum. The HMMC facility manufactures vehicles for export to 66 countries worldwide from its location in Nosovice, a town in the Moravia-Silesia region, the eastern portion of the Czech Republic. Before Hyundai’s arrival, Nosovice was renowned as the home of the Radegast brewery. It is now a firm fixture on Europe’s automotive map, forming a crucial part of Moravia-Silesia’s industrial structure. 

When considering where to locate the plant, the Czech Republic entered Hyundai’s thinking not only due to its economic status as an EU member but also its engineering heritage and the technical level of the transport infrastructure. Three strategic investment zones were put forward by the government’s trade development agency, CzechInvest. Of these, Nosovice came out on top, helped by its close proximity and route access over the border into Slovakia and the sister plant operated by Kia at Zilina…