Hyundai has pushed back against fears its new fleet of humanoid robots will steal human jobs, as the car giant charges toward a massive tech push by 2028.
The company revisited plans to rapidly scale up its robotics operations alongside its classic car-making business over the next few years at its 2026 CEO Investor Day.
The Korean company has more than 335,000 human staff on the books globally and the AI and robotics push is already sparking anxiety among workers and union bosses.
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According to a report by Yonhap News Agency, a couple of weeks ago Hyundai reached a deal with union members in relation to job security following a one-day strike.
The deal included a higher monthly salary and the mandatory retirement age increased.
Hyundai CEO José Muñoz addressed investors last week, saying the company was in an adequate position to continue to move with its artificial intelligence and humanoid plans.
“Let me be clear about our industrialisation of robots. Robots are in service of humans. They do the work that is difficult and repetitive,” Mr Muñoz said.
“Ultimately, this will improve safety, quality, and efficiency in our operations. Robots are not about replacing humans. We are creating new categories of jobs like global maintenance, all while maximising human potential.”
Hyundai Motor Group owns Boston Dynamics, which develops the doglike robot called Spot and the Atlas humanoid.
These robots have already attracted global attention when they were on display throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mr Muñoz said Hyundai is preparing to move Atlas into mass production, targeting deployment of the humanoid robot at its Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in the US from 2028.
“Boston Dynamics is now part of Hyundai Motor Group. We’re building Spot and Stretch robots and soon, we’ll be mass-producing Atlas humanoid robots,” he said.
The company plans to build a factory capable of producing up to 30,000 robots a year by 2028, giving Hyundai the capacity to dramatically increase its presence in the robotics industry.
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Its Robot Metaplant Application Centre opened in the US in June and is expected to expand tenfold by the end of the year.
The facility is designed to simulate real-world manufacturing environments, allowing Hyundai to train its robots, collect data, and test the machines before deploying them on production lines.
Hyundai says its robots are being developed to handle tasks including material handling and precision assembly, with the machines designed to reduce physical strain on workers by taking on high-risk and repetitive jobs.
These robots are so sophisticated they will be able to learn most tasks within a single day.
The Atlas humanoid stands about 2.3m tall, can lift up to 50kg and has 56 degrees of freedom, allowing its joints to move through a wide range of motion.
Hyundai is also exploring how it can build an entire business around the machines, rather than simply using them inside its own factories.
Mr Muñoz said the company was considering selling robots through Hyundai’s dealer network, while Hyundai Capital was exploring whether it could finance robot purchases.
“Boston Dynamics is now part of Hyundai Motor Group. We have existing potential distribution for selling robots through our dealer partners. And Hyundai Capital is exploring the feasibility to finance sales of robots,” Mr Muñoz said.
“Development, production, distribution, sales and finance for robotics. This is the power of the Group.”
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The robotics push comes as Hyundai outlines a broader plan to transform the company by 2030.
Following record revenue of about A$95 billion, Hyundai says it plans to launch more than 100 new or refreshed models globally by 2030, while expanding into artificial intelligence and robotics.
But the scale of the plan did not impress investors.
Hyundai shares fell a little over three per cent following the CEO Investor Day presentation last week.