An i30 was the one millionth car produced at Hyundai’s factory in Nošovice, Czech Republic this week. Production started at the ‘greenfield’ plant on 3 November 2008, when a previous generation i30 model was Job One.
The automaker spent EUR1.2bn building the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) factory and 15,500 vehicles were made by the end of the 2008.
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A second shift was added in September 2009 to meet rising demand for ‘made for Europe’ models and, by 2010, annual production had reached 200,000 units. A third shift was introduced in 2011, and the factory made 300,000 cars in 2012.
HMMC has annual turnover of EUR3.2bn and pays combined annual salaries of almost EUR47m. Almost 3,500 people are employed directly at the plant with a further 7,000 at suppliers. The plant contributes significantly to the EUR1.3bn of parts ordered from Europe by Hyundai each year.
Allan Rushforth, senior vice president and COO at Hyundai Motor Europe, said: “Since 2008, we have developed our business to become a truly ‘European’ brand. Our Czech plant is at the heart of our European success, producing the two best-selling Hyundai models in the region and making one car every minute.
“Cars such as the ix35 and i30 that helped us achieve a record-high European market share of 3.5% in 2012.”
Three key suppliers are located directly on the factory ground, reducing road traffic by 200 trucks each day, while another 15 are located in the Czech Republic, where 62% of the parts by value are produced for the i30.
Nošovice builds the ix20 MPV, ix35 compact and i30. Each was designed and developed for Europe at Hyundai’s European Technical Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
Australia recently became the 60th export destination for Czech-built i30s, joining countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania.
Nošovice and the company’s plant in Turkey together produce 70% of the Hyundai vehicles sold in Europe.
