Hyundai Motor Türkiye (HMTR) has begun manufacturing the all-electric Ioniq 3 at its İzmit facility, making it the first electric vehicle (EV) passenger car built in Türkiye by a foreign OEM.
The development follows a €250m ($289.7m) investment to prepare the İzmit facility for EV production, with more than 50% of the plant modernised over the past two years.
Türkiye Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said: “Hyundai Motor Türkiye will initially produce 30,000 IONIQ 3 vehicles annually in Türkiye with an investment of €250m.”
The transformation has included the re-skilling of more than 1,000 employees.
The İzmit facility, set up in 1997, is Hyundai's oldest and longest-running overseas plant.
Across nearly three decades, the company has put a combined €1.18bn into the site.
HMTR's workforce now stands at roughly 2,400 across the İzmit plant and its İstanbul head office.
Working alongside Hyundai Mobis, a fellow Hyundai Motor Group affiliate, the company has also set up a Battery System Assembly plant at İzmit, which will handle battery assembly for hybrid models.
Further expansion plans include the next-generation Bayon and i20, with hybrid versions of both due to enter production at the site in 2027.
Built in “Aero Hatch” body form, the Ioniq 3 is due to reach dealerships in September, market conditions permitting, and will come with a choice of two battery and motor combinations.
Hyundai first showed off the Ioniq 3 hatchback in April this year.
Developed by Hyundai Motor Europe with the European market as its main focus, the model rounds out the firm's Ioniq battery-electric line-up as it looks to compete against a growing field of BEV rivals in the region.
It runs on Hyundai Motor Group's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and is manufactured at HMTR's İzmit plant.
HMTR CEO Alex Kim said: “We are proud to produce the first-generation IONIQ 3 in Türkiye. As part of our transformation process, approximately 50% of our plant has been modernised, with more than 1,000 employees taking on different roles throughout this transformation.
“Looking ahead, we aim to continue investing in various areas to further enhance our production capabilities in the coming years.”
That same month, Hyundai also revealed the first Ioniq-branded BEV model intended for the Chinese market.
In June, HMTR set out plans for the battery assembly plant at İzmit, forming part of a broader €715m investment package that also covers Ioniq 3 output. Of this sum, €55m has been earmarked specifically for the battery facility.
