Following over two years of construction on its 3,000 acre site in Bryan County, the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America held its grand opening on Wednesday in Ellabell.

Industry leaders, politicians, and the international media were invited to tour the production facility. With 16 million square feet of factory floor space, the plant currently employs 1,232 people out of its prospective 8,500. The tour was followed by a formal ceremony where Governor Brian Kemp and Hyundai Motor Company President and CEO José Muñoz spoke about the company’s $12.6 billion investment, what it means for Georgia, as well as announcing a further financial commitment by Hyundai totaling $21 billion. 

The Current’s visual journalist, Justin Taylor, attended the event and toured the plant’s Stamping, Welding, and General Assembly buildings, all filled with quiet-autonomous robots and blue-shirted Hyundai employees called Meta Pros.

Here’s what he saw:

The Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, Euisun Chung, speaks at the grand opening of the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Governor Bryan Kemp takes a selfie with the Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, Euisun Chung, at the grand opening of the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Governor Bryan Kemp signs the hood of a newly made IONIQ 5 electric vehicle at the grand opening of the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Meta Pros assemble suspension parts on an IONIQ 5 electric car at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Meta Pros assemble the interior of a IONIQ 5 electric car at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan Count on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Autonomous platforms silently move vehicles through the production process in the General Assembly building at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Boston Dynamics robot dogs inspect a newly welded chassis during the assembly of a IONIQ 9 electric vehicle at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
After welding and assembling the chassis of the IONIQ 5 electric vehicles, the frames are lifted up by robotic arms and taken away to be painted, at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
A newly made IONIQ 5 electric vehicle at the grand opening of the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
A newly assembled IONIQ 5 electric vehicles is inspected at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Meta Pros install wiring and electrical parts on the IONIQ 5 electric car at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA
Autonomous platforms, assisted by lasers, move vehicles through the production process in the General Assembly building at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County on March 26, 2025. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA

Justin Taylor is a visual journalist based in Savannah. He is a Catchlight Local/Report for America Corps member. His versatile style blends elements of fine art, photojournalism, and drone photography. A...