Kia CEO outlines plan to deploy humanoid robot Atlas at US factories in 2029

Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, explains the company's business strategy during a CEO Investor Day held in Seoul, April 9, in this provided file photo. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, has said the automaker plans to deploy humanoid robot Atlas developed by Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, at U.S. factories in 2029.

During recent overseas roadshows cited by Korea Investment & Securities on Monday, Song outlined plans to deploy the humanoid robot at Kia's Georgia plant in 2029, following its initial rollout at parent company Hyundai Motor Group's U.S. manufacturing facility, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, in 2028.

Song said the company plans to gradually expand deployment at U.S. factories over the first one to two years to accumulate operational data and enhance safety, with the robots initially assigned to physically demanding processes.

Once the robots' capabilities are verified in certain processes, Song said deployment could be expanded to overseas factories with similar production layouts.

The CEO also said four-legged robot Spot is already being used for product scanning, security and patrol operations, while logistics robot Stretch will be integrated into purpose-built vehicles.

This rollout follows a phased deployment strategy led by parent company Hyundai Motor Group to integrate the autonomous humanoids into core manufacturing processes.