Overview
- Hyundai confirmed Thursday that SoftBank has exercised a 2020 put option and that the group intends to purchase SoftBank’s roughly 9.65% holding to make Boston Dynamics a wholly owned subsidiary.
- Media estimates put the price for the remaining stake at about $325 million while Hyundai reviews final purchase-price allocation and internal approvals before closing the deal.
- Hyundai has kept its production timetable, aiming to build annual output capacity of about 30,000 robots by 2028 and to deploy roughly 25,000 units across Hyundai and Kia plants before selling robots externally.
- The company plans to begin using Atlas humanoid robots at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia for parts sequencing in 2028, with phased expansion to component assembly targeted by 2030 pending operational validation.
- Union leaders in South Korea have pressed for safeguards over job impacts, staging partial strikes and demanding measures such as pay structure changes and later retirement ages, while Hyundai links the buyout to closer tech integration with affiliates and a possible U.S. IPO for Boston Dynamics.