Singapore is famous for producing many things – Chicken Rice, Singlish, and Gurmit Singh –  but it could soon start manufacturing something much bigger.

Reader: Bigger than Gurmit Singh?

Well, not in stature, but certainly in size.

Everything About Hyundai’s New Car Production Centre in Jurong Simplified for You

Hyundai is opening a 28,000 sqm innovation centre in Jurong Innovation District.

The $400 million plant will house an electric vehicle factory along with facilities for the research and development of automotive technologies.

Construction is set to be completed by the end of 2022.

This is the first time Hyundai has chosen a country which does not have a car manufacturing industry.

Yes, soon you’ll be able to drive cars here with the label “Made in Singapore”.

How soon?

Well, the facility, called the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre (HMGICS), is expected to produce 30,000 vehicles per year by 2025.

The South Korean conglomerate only plans to sell 5,000 to 6,000 of these cars in Singapore, however. The rest will be exported.

Unbeknownst to most of us, Singapore actually used to manufacture cars locally in the past.

From the 1940s to 1980s, the country housed car assembly plants run by Ford and Mercedes Benz.

However, car assembly on a small scale became less and less economically viable over the years.

Part of Goal To Run On Cleaner Energy

This joint venture with Hyundai is “an important milestone” for the economic relationship between Singapore and South Korea, PM Lee said during a virtual groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday (13 Oct).

“It will pave the way for more Korean companies to invest here, partner with local suppliers and SMEs, and collaborate with our universities and research institutes,” he said.

This move is part of the country’s goal to gradually shift to cleaner energy.

The prime minister noted that Singapore had announced plans earlier this year to raise demand for electric vehicles, as well as build the necessary infrastructure to support it, such as charging stations.

As PM Lee said: “Singapore’s goal is to have all our vehicles run on cleaner energy by 2040,”.

Customers Will Be Able to Buy Cars On Their Phones

Now for the exciting part.

According to The Straits Times, customers will be able to order and customise an electric car on their phone, and watch it being built in Hyundai’s plant here.

The factory will immediately start manufacturing an order once it is received.

Once the car is ready for delivery, it will be moved to a sky track at the top of the facility where customers can test drive it.

And if everything’s good to go, you can drive home with your brand new car.

PM Lee added that opening of Hyundai’s plant will also create jobs, such as Internet of Things engineers, scientists, and digital supply chain strategists, so there’s more than one reason to look forward to their grand opening.