According to Automotive News, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun has pledged to expand the company's contribution to the U.S. economy, although the company's plans to start production at a battery plant in Georgia are facing delays due to an unprecedented immigration raid last week.
Chung Eui-sun attended an event hosted by Automotive News in Detroit that day and said: "The United States is Hyundai Motor's largest and most important market," and said "Hyundai Motor hopes to make a greater contribution by expanding investment and developing environmentally friendly vehicles."
Chung Eui-sun said Hyundai Motor will continue to develop electric and hydrogen-powered models to respond to the growing demand for environmentally friendly transportation in the United States.
He said he was relieved to know that hundreds of Korean workers detained at a construction site in Blaine County, near Savannah, Georgia, were home safe.
He also expressed the hope that South Korea and the United States would work together to establish a more stable system for future cooperation.
Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz said on Thursday that the start of the Georgia battery plant jointly built by Hyundai Motor and LG New Energy will be delayed by at least 2 to 3 months due to a lack of manpower.
Industry observers in South Korea have warned that South Korean companies' investment projects in the United States may experience major delays following the incident, which many believe may also seriously affect South Korea-U.S. relations.
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