Hyundai On ICE

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The US has pressured South Korea to invest billions of dollars in American industry for years.

In August, Hyundai leadership agreed to do just that; they committed to invest $26 billion in the US to expand vehicle, steel, and robotics production over the next four years.

But giving The Donald what he wants doesn’t guarantee you‘ve given The Donald everything he wants. Or maybe it is just impossible to predict what The Donald actually wants. (See Melania for details.)

ICYMI: Earlier this month, nearly 500 workers, including at least 300 South Koreans and at least 23 Mexicans, were arrested at the Hyundai-LG battery plant in the city of Ellabell, Georgia.

According to US officials, some workers tried to flee, including several who jumped into a nearby sewage pond.

They were separated into groups based on nationality and visa status before being processed and loaded onto multiple coaches.

The raid, dubbed by officials "Operation Low Voltage," was the largest single-site immigration operation in the history of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.

South Korea is among the US’s closest allies.

And this incident has strained relations between Washington and Seoul.

"Our businesses that have entered the United States are likely in a state of serious confusion," President Lee Jae Myung said at a news conference.

Park Yoon-joo, South Korea’s first vice-foreign minister, reportedly told Allison Hooker, the US secretary of state for political affairs, that it was lamentable the raid took place “at a critical time, when the momentum of trust and cooperation” forged by the leaders of the two countries needed to be maintained.

Dong-A Ilbo, a mass-circulation South Korean daily, published an editorial describing the raid as a “shock,” suggesting, “It will put a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States.”

Like the rest of us, Hyundai’s CEO, José Muñoz, found out about the raid in the news.

“I could not believe what I saw because I would’ve known normally before the news,” Muñoz told CNN.

Most of those detained were South Korean nationals employed through subcontractors.

Around the time of the incident, The Donald said, "They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job."

The Donald offered to allow the South Korean workers to stay in the United States, but only one opted to remain.

Hyundai agreed to investigate the employment practices of suppliers and their subcontractors.

Atlanta immigration attorney Charles Kuck, who represents four of the detained South Korean nationals, told The Associated Press that many were doing work that is authorized under the B-1 business visitor visa program.

They had planned to be in the U.S. for just a couple of weeks and “never longer than 75 days,” he said.

Within days, hundreds of workers were deported.

This Georgia plant was supposed to start producing EV batteries later this year, but now is likely to be delayed by up to three months.

This week, Hyundai held its annual investor day in New York, which suddenly took on the appearance of a bizarro world geopolitical hostage negotiation.

Hyundai announced a fresh slate of investments in the US, including $2.7 billion into the EV battery factory where the raid took place.

The automaker also plans to release a range of new EV models, including extended-range EVs and over a dozen hybrid vehicles by 2030.

It will also expand its gas-powered lineup, with the debut of a mid-sized pickup truck for North America in 2030.

In addition, Hyundai is increasing its revenue expectations for 2025, despite ongoing US tariffs causing the automaker to lower its expected operating profit for the year.

I guess when the going gets tough, the tough invests an additional $2.7 billion dollars.

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BYD unveils the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, achieving 496.22 km/h, a Nürburgring lap of 6:59.157. carnewschina.com

GM is in preliminary talks to renew its joint venture with China’s SAIC Motor Corp. bloomberg.com

Two of Xpeng’s flying cars collided in mid-air in China. theverge.com

Elon bought $1 billion in Tesla stock through an irrevocable trust on September 12th, according to regulatory filings. theverge.com

Tesla is working on a new door handle design to combine the electronic and manual door-release mechanisms into one button to prevent people from getting trapped in their vehicles. bloomberg.com

Tesla has been approved to start testing autonomous robotaxis with a safety monitor in Arizona. reuters.com

Tesla agrees to settle another wrongful death lawsuit involving Autopilot. theverge.com

Universal Robots unveiled their new UR8 Long, a long-reach industrial collaborative robot that is designed to tackle demanding automation challenges across industries. businesswire.com

Humanoid robotics company Figure announced on Tuesday that it raised a Series C funding round that values it at $39 billion. techcrunch.com

A robot programmed to act like a 7-year-old girl works to combat fear and loneliness in hospitals. apnews.com

The Donald’s Department of Energy says it will provide an initial installment of $77 million to Entek Lithium Separators LLC to fund a new manufacturing facility to produce lithium-ion battery separators that can be used in EVs and other industries. bloomberg.com

Illinois awards $18.4M in restored NEVI funds to build EV charging stations. electrek.co

Green energy projects worth nearly $42 billion have been delayed, scaled back, or cancelled since The Donald’s inauguration. bloomberg.com

Stellantis unveiled an EV prototype on Friday featuring a faster-charging, lighter and more affordable battery that eliminates the need for a separate inverter and charger. reuters.com

Alberta startup to test saltwater battery on Medicine Hat's electrical grid. cbc.ca

Cadillac’s entry-level EV, the 2026 Cadillac Optiq, packs more power, more features, and a built-in NACS port so you can recharge at Tesla Superchargers. electrek.co

Hyundai and GM will co-develop five vehicles for the North American and South American markets starting in 2028. autonews.com

Nissan drops Ariya EV in the US for the 2026 model year. autonews.com

Canadian vehicle and auto part exports faced more than US$380 million in tariffs in July, a sharp jump from previous months as U.S. levies kicked in. ctvnews.ca

Advocates for Canada’s electric vehicle sector want Ottawa to open the door to more European cars to spur competition in Canada. ctvnews.ca

Canadian automakers are warning they could be on the hook for billions of dollars in credit purchases if Canada’s electric vehicle mandate is enforced as written, and sales don’t ramp up. ctvnews.ca

Lucid opened orders for its new Gravity electric SUV in Europe last week. electrek.co

Ford has a B-pillar trim problem. reuters.com

Polestar has a rearview camera problem. reuters.com

Rivian’s secret e-bike revealed in leaked images. electrek.co

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday following a full committee markup. The proposed legislation can now be scheduled for a vote by the full House. radioworld.com

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Lyft and Waymo are partnering to bring robotaxis to Nashville. theverge.com, techcrunch.com

Waymo is teaming up with tech transit startup Via to integrate its autonomous vehicles into city public transit networks, starting with a growing suburb of Phoenix. theverge.com

Uber will test using drones for Uber Eats deliveries in some US markets by the end of 2025. techcrunch.com

NVIDIA signed a letter of intent for a possible $500 million investment in British autonomous driving technology startup Wayve. reuters.com

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