Hyundai Wia begins European mass production at Slovak plant

Hyundai Wia has held a mass-production ceremony at its new plant in Martin City, Zilina, Slovakia, on 30 September, as it starts making core vehicle parts in Europe.

At the plant, the company is mass-producing constant speed joints (CVJs) and cooling-water modules. CVJs transmit engine power to the wheels and are important for driving stability. The facility has capacity for up to 800,000 CVJs and 280,000 cooling-water modules a year.

The parts are to be supplied to global automakers including Hyundai Motor and Kia. Hyundai Wia said it plans to focus on the European electric-vehicle market by supplying parts to dedicated pure-electric models such as the Kia EV2 and EV4.

A company official said the goal was to expand the Slovak subsidiary’s CVJ production capacity up to five times through continuous investment and to diversify production items beyond cooling-water modules. Hyundai Wia CEO Kwon Oh-sung attended the ceremony with Slovakia’s Economy Minister Denisa Sakova and Labour Minister Eric Tomasi.

The Slovak subsidiary was founded in April 2023. Hyundai Wia said it moved production facilities from other regions of the country to the new Martin plant to prepare for expected growth in output and secure a stable production base.