Euisun Chung says Hyundai will expand in India beyond cars, targeting robotics, AI, batteries, energy and transport infrastructure as the group commits $15.5bn through 2032.
Euisun Chung has set out a wider ambition for Hyundai Motor Group in India, saying the South Korean carmaker wants to move beyond vehicles and into robotics, artificial intelligence, future energy and transport infrastructure. Speaking at the opening of Hyundai’s new plant in Talegaon, in Maharashtra, Chung said the group intends to grow alongside India not only through cars, but also through investment in the systems that will support the country’s next phase of industrial growth.
The comments came a day after Chung met Narendra Modi in New Delhi, where, according to Hyundai Motor Group, the two discussed the company’s long-term strategy in India. The group separately announced a $15.5 billion investment plan for India covering 2026 to 2032, describing the country as a strategic core market for future growth. The plan focuses on expanding manufacturing capacity, strengthening research and development, building up local suppliers and pushing forward new technologies.
Hyundai has already been laying some of that groundwork. The company has partnered with Indian Institutes of Technology on battery and electrification research, committing about $7 million over five years from 2025 to 2029 to collaborative work intended to support India’s electric vehicle ecosystem. In parallel, Hyundai Motor and Kia have signed a memorandum of understanding with Exide Energy Solutions to localise battery production in India, with an emphasis on lithium-iron-phosphate cells, which are widely viewed as a lower-cost chemistry for mass-market electric vehicles.
Charging infrastructure remains a major hurdle, and Chung said the group would push for wider availability by working with the Indian government and, if needed, other carmakers as well. That approach reflects a broader reality in the Indian market: electric vehicle adoption is still at an early stage, and the spread of public charging points has not kept pace with ambitions for cleaner transport. Chung said he expected the market to develop gradually and suggested it could take around five years before growth becomes more established.
The company is also linking its India strategy to robotics and AI. Hyundai Motor Group outlined an AI robotics strategy at CES 2026, presenting robots and machine intelligence as part of a human-centred industrial model. Chung said AI is already being used across office work and factory quality control, and he wants the same tools deployed at new plants in India. On the occasion of his sixth anniversary as group chairman, he also stressed the importance of talent, saying people remained the company’s most important asset and that his job was to help employees grow while keeping Hyundai ahead in technology and quality.
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