Maiden locally assembled Hyundai Grand i10 rolls off Abans’ assembly line

Sri Lanka’s first locally assembled Hyundai Grand i10 1.2l Auto was ceremonially unveiled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, at the Hyundai Showroom, Colombo City Centre yesterday.

The launch was graced by Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Sri Lanka Santhush Woonjin Jeong and Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana and gave the invitees a first-hand experience of the all-new Hyundai Grand i10’s sleek design, innovative technology, advanced features and the capabilities of Sri Lanka youth.

This venture, a technology partnership between Abans Auto and Hyundai Motor Company of Korea, has paved the way for the devolution of the latest engineering processes, world-class component manufacturing technologies and further technology partnerships with internationally acclaimed OEM vendors, signifying a revolution in Sri Lankan automotive engineering.

Similarly, upon utilising the wealth of experience in setting up world-leading assembly and manufacturing facilities across the globe, Hyundai was comprehensively involved in setting up the state-of-the-art vehicle assembly line (presently at its final stages of completion) in Seeduwa, where the Grand i10 was assembled. The massive enterprise is expected to further uplift the national automobile assembly and automotive components manufacturing industry to greater heights, giving Sri Lankan industry much-deserved recognition on the international stage.

The unveiling marks the fruition of a partnership entered into in late 2020, when the Hyundai Motor Company of Korea, reached an agreement with Abans Auto, authorising the reputed local automotive retailer to assemble Hyundai automobiles and manufacture components under license in Sri Lanka. This is the second such venture by a global automotive manufacturer in Sri Lanka. The project is a direct technical collaboration with Hyundai, the world’s third-largest automobile manufacturer and the most prominent to enter into vehicle assembly and localisation in Sri Lanka.

The project to date has achieved a significant level of technology transfer and human capital development. Hyundai has paved the way for globally renowned component manufacturers to collaborate directly with local counterparts to locally produce components to Hyundai’s exacting standards.

Abans in partnership with Hyundai has established a state-of-the-art, high efficiency Complete Knocked Down (CKD) vehicle assembly line in Seeduwa. The plant, designed by Korean engineers in collaboration with their counterparts in Sri Lanka, integrates specialised high-precision Korean equipment with all requisite testing facilities comparable to those at larger plants across the world.

Vehicles in the form of CKD units are built on a multi-stage assembly line, where over 2,000 components per car are assembled by Hyundai-trained technical staff, using high-precision tools and equipment. During the initial test build and training phases, resident Hyundai Korea engineering and quality specialists ensured that strict engineering standards were instilled in the Sri Lankan technical teams.

CKD assembly has several desirable advantages such as eliminating overseas plant-related costs and broadening the technical scope of local activity. CKD assembly positions itself as a catalyst for driving the local industry to the global stage as it guarantees an increased level of skills and technology transfer.

The plant is designed to optimally produce over 3,000 units per year on a single shift. However, the output is scalable to meet growing market requirements. The plant is geared to manufacture a range of Hyundai passenger vehicles of varying sizes from Hatchbacks to large SUVs. With Hyundai being a leader in future mobility, the plant has been designed with the capability to incorporate sustainable mobility into its manufacturing process.

While integrating sustainable mobility into the plant’s scope of manufacturing activities, in keeping with Abans’ ethos of constant improvement, plans are already afoot to further expand local activity to uplift this burgeoning national industry to international standards.