Hyundai operates the second largest automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, South Korea which has an annual production capacity of 1.6 million units.

[13] When Hyundai wanted to develop their own car, they hired George Turnbull in February 1974, the former managing director of Austin Morris at British Leyland.

[14][15][16][17] In 1975, the Pony, the first South Korean car, was released, with styling by Giorgio Giugiaro of Italdesign and powertrain technology provided by Japan's Mitsubishi Motors.

The import of these knocked down kits was permitted as long as Hyundai exported five cars for every single Granada brought in (the same demands were placed on Kia).

[20] In 1986, Hyundai began to sell cars in the United States, and the Excel was nominated as "Best Product #10" by Fortune magazine, largely because of its affordability.

[19] In 1991, the company succeeded in developing its first proprietary gasoline engine, the four-cylinder Alpha, and also its own transmission, thus paving the way for technological independence.

[36] In 1998, after a shake-up in the South Korean auto industry caused by overambitious expansion and the Asian financial crisis, Hyundai acquired the majority of rival Kia Motors.

[43] In October 2024, Hyundai Motor said it had signed a 610-gigawatt-hour (GWh) power purchase agreement (PPA) with SK E&S and other partners, the latest in its renewable energy transition efforts.

The design philosophy was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show demonstrated by the Le Fil Rouge concept car, and has been rolled out into their recent models, ranging from sedans to SUVs.

With an increasingly poor reputation for quality, Hyundai sales plummeted, and many dealerships either earned their profits on repairs or abandoned the product.

[79] Hyundai is currently working with its Chinese partner Beijing Automobile Industry Holding Co. to develop an electric car for sale only in China.

[82] Hyundai and its sister company, Kia, were reported to have lost market share from 2017 because of their over-reliance on sedans, poor brand images and local Chinese automakers compete with price-competitive SUVs.

In June 2017, The Competition Commission of India imposed ₹87 crore ($13.6 million) penalty for unfair business practices with respect to providing discounts for cars.

The marketing campaign backfired, as large sedans are driven primarily by middle-aged men, while housewives prefer compact cars.

[121] Known as Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (HMMI), it is built in Cikarang, Bekasi and will fully operate in the second half of 2021 with the annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.

[143] Hyundai has been operating an R&D centre in Frankfurt, Germany since 1994,[144] that has been responsible for monitoring technology developments in Europe and designing and engineering new cars for the European market.

[147] In November 2008, Hyundai opened its European plant in Nošovice, Czech Republic, following an investment of over 1 billion euros and over two years of construction.

[151] In Russia, the production of the Hyundai Accent, Sonata, Elantra and Santa Fe models has been taking place at the TagAZ plant,[152] located in Taganrog, since 2001,[153] in the form of complete knock-down kits assembly.

[153] In June 2008, Hyundai started the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Saint Petersburg with a planned yearly capacity of 100,000 cars,[155] that will eventually be increased to 200,000 units.

[157] In September 2021, Hyundai Wia division opened a car engine manufacturing plant in Saint Petersburg, the biggest in Russia and the fifth in the world.

Hyundai produces sedans, hatchbacks, crossover SUVs, vans, pickups, heavy trucks and buses in numerous plants worldwide.

[162] The Tucson is the fourth best-selling SUV in the world in 2020, with a total sales of 451,703 units, below the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Volkswagen Tiguan.

The new brand is going to utilise Hyundai's Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which they claims will enable "fast charging capability and plentiful driving range.

[194] In July 2022, Hyundai announced its new automotive factory in South Korea, solely dedicated for electric vehicles and with production set to begin in 2025.

[200] Hyundai chose to launch in Switzerland as its road tax does not apply to zero-emission trucks and for its ability to produce hydrogen using hydropower.

Its aim was to promote environmentally friendly products, increase the forest cover in Tamil Nadu, and improve living and hygiene conditions in the region's villages.

[224] In 2020, Hyundai Motors signed a contract with UN Development Programme and launched a campaign ‘for Tomorrow’ in 2021 to create and realize a solution for problems that global society faces.

[241] In April 2013, Hyundai Motors UK released a commercial depicting a man attempting to commit suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning in an ix35, only to fail to do so because of the vehicle's non-toxic emissions.

[242][243] Since October 2022, following a TikTok trend, Hyundai vehicles especially in North America are highly targeted for theft due to their weaker security systems.

A video posted on TikTok depicted the theft process, which involves inserting a USB connector on a naked key slot and successfully starts a car.