A MAJOR car firm can now build new motors in just six hours thanks to its new AI ‘smart factory’.
The industry giant has slashed manufacturing times and given a glimpse into the future, with robots doing most of the heavy work at the new facility in Singapore.
Hyundai has allowed the public a look inside its revolutionary Innovation Centre for the first time this week.
The factory already produces the Korean brand’s Ioniq 5 and 6 models and is apparently set to act as a testing ground for the possibility of other, similar sites around the world.
Bosses are yet to confirm any details of an expansion plan, but the UK has not been ruled out as a future location.
Customisation and customer interaction are at the centre of the thinking behind the unique plants, with each serving its own local market.
Prospective buyers will first sit in the “Ioniq Lounge”, where they can design their own version of the EV with a raft of custom features.
This will then be loaded into a virtual reality simulator so customers can view their dream car going through the manufacturing process in front of them.
Once that’s done, the VR screen rises to reveal the new car brought to life from the computerised design.
At the moment, the workforce is split between human engineers and AI-powered robots, but the company aims to have the factory’s digital brain become “autonomous” by 2027, with human workers only needed to confirm decisions.
When your car has been built, you will be whisked off for lunch with a menu using ingredients grown on-site by robots, which tend to the site’s Smart Farm.
After that, it’s up to the rooftop track to see your motor tested before you take ownership.
Alpesh Patel, who runs the site, said: “This isn’t just a factory: it’s a customer experience centre.
“Customers can interact with us in a close way.
“We use fewer people, but they do more technical jobs.”
Indeed, the Singapore factory operates with just 29 technicians who produce 70 cars per day during an eight-hour shift, with that number expected to grow going forward.
Mr Patel did accept that job losses would be the result of the digitalisation of the production process, especially low-skill jobs.
However, he emphasised Hyundai’s commitment to “upskill” workers to fill more technical roles, supported by AI, as the programme expands.
It comes after the host of Wheeler Dealers revealed the “saddest move you can make” if you love your car.
Meanwhile, Britain’s top doctors have called for a major change to drink driving laws ahead of Christmas.
