Hyundai chair, CEO celebrate 20 years of California Proving Ground

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Hyundai chair, CEO celebrate 20 years of California Proving Ground

Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 15:18 Updated: 13 Feb. 2025, 17:03

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung autographs at an event celebrating two decades of the anniversary of California Proving Grounds in the middle of the Mojave Desert. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor Group held a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of its California Proving Ground in the Mojave Desert, where all Hyundai, Kia and Genesis cars get tested before hitting North American roads.

Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group executive chair, and CEO José Muñoz attended the event to encourage staff and reaffirm the important role of the facility for Hyundai's further growth in the U.S. market, the Korean automaker said Thursday.

Hyundai and Kia cars undergo a performance test at the California Proving Grounds in California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The 4,500-acre proving grounds opened in 2005, the result of an $80 million investment, with a 6.4-mile oval track, a 2.75-mile winding road track, a 3.3-mile hill road, off-road evaluation loops and other particularly surfaced roads constructed to replicate U.S. highways. Tests contain ride and handling evaluations, noise and vibration and harshness tests, as well as heat protection assessments.

The facility also features equipment to assess exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

More than 5,000 Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles have undergone rigorous testing at the facility so far, running more than 32 million kilometers (19.9 million miles) on track to ensure their quality, durability, reliability and safety, Hyundai said.

“Hyundai Motor Group has made exceptional progress over the past 20 years, thanks in part to our California Proving Ground and the outstanding work of our team there,” Chung said at the event.

Hyundai and Kia cars undergo a performance test at the California Proving Grounds in California City. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

A Kia Telluride on a circuit [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

“As we look to the future, we must focus on pioneering technologies such as AI, robotics, Software Defined Vehicles, electrification and hydrogen technology. Facilities like the California Proving Ground will be critical to that innovation and will help shape the next 20 years of Hyundai Motor Group, turning challenges into opportunities and setbacks into successes.”

Hyundai has invested more than $20.5 billion in the United States since 2002, including manufacturing plants in Alabama and Georgia and various research centers, directly or indirectly employing over 570,000 people.

Hyundai Motor and Kia reached No. 3 among global automakers in combined sales in 2022 and have maintained that position for three consecutive years.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]