Hyundai Motor Group’s plans for a reported $1 billion electric vehicle battery factory in Australia allegedly fell through in 2024 after a ‘bungled’ meeting thwarted the project, according to text messages from a former trade commissioner for the NSW Government.
Appointed by Investment NSW, Mike Newman was senior trade and investment commissioner for North Asia, based in Japan and also covering South Korea, from 2021 to 2024.
In a news report on the former commissioner, Channel 7 said Mr Newman sent text messages in January 2024 regarding Hyundai’s plans to manufacture batteries in Australia.
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The messages came as the then trade commissioner pushed for NSW Premier Chris Minns to meet with Hyundai regarding the project.
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It’s believed Euisun Chung, the global head of Hyundai Motor Group, a massive manufacturing conglomerate which includes the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis auto brands as well as robotics and other technology businesses, was in Australia in early 2024 for a potential meeting.
Australia was seen as a prime location for battery manufacturing, given its critical mineral resources, and the Hyundai boss is believed to have sought a meeting either with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or the premier of the nation’s most populous state for initial talks.
“Hyundai execs got back to me and seem keen to invest north of $1bn [billion] in NSW including building a car plant. So seniority is a must. They invested $7bn in the US on a battery plant late last year… this is a massive opportunity,” Mr Newman is reported to have said in a text to the NSW Premier’s chief of staff on January 17, 2024.
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According to the Channel 7 report, Mr Newman’s messages revealed the NSW meeting “fell through” and was subsequently “bungled”, with the proposal moving to Victoria and Hyundai “ultimately” not investing.
Hyundai Australia hasn’t made any public comment on the proposed meeting and wouldn’t comment on the matter when contacted by CarExpert.
Mr Newman left the role in 2024 and is now the NSW leader of political party One Nation. His office was contacted by CarExpert for comment.
The prime minister’s office has also been contacted by CarExpert regarding the matter.
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In April 2022, then opposition leader Mr Albanese visited Brisbane-based EV equipment maker Tritium in the leadup to the following month’s federal election, which he won.
“The delay, prevarication and inaction from this government has meant that we’re missing out on opportunities,” he told media during the Tritium visit.
“There’s such a thing as first-mover advantage. Now, we’ve lost that. But what we need to do is embrace the action that is there from action on climate change, which will actually be good for our economy and good for jobs.”
The plans for a meeting between Hyundai and the government were mentioned in a NSW Parliament budget estimates hearing on September 2024.
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This saw Anoulack Chanthivong, who remains the NSW Minister for Industry and Trade, questioned by Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Sarah Mitchell on the project.
“Hyundai… Their global chair, CEO and COO, I’m told, requested to meet with both you and the premier in January this year to discuss a billion-dollar battery manufacturing opportunity,” Ms Mitchell said, according to the transcript.
The transcript recorded Mr Chanthivong telling Ms Mitchell he couldn’t recall every meeting request, suggesting he may have been on personal leave in January 2024.
“I’m not begrudging you personal leave, but my issue is that you had a billion-dollar opportunity with a major global company for this state, who then went and met with Victoria because they couldn’t get a meeting with you.
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“That is not, I think, what the taxpayers of New South Wales would be expecting from you as trade minister, with respect,” Ms Mitchell said.
A 2022 report prepared for the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre estimated that diversified battery industries could contribute around $7.4 billion annually to Australia’s economy and support more than 34,000 jobs by 2030.
“The NSW Government did not receive any formal proposal from Hyundai to establish a vehicle manufacturing plant in NSW,” Mr Chanthivong’s office told CarExpert.
“Governments regularly engage with a wide range of companies regarding potential investment opportunities, but we do not comment on hypothetical scenarios about potential future investment decisions by individual companies.
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“The NSW Government remains focused on attracting investment, supporting advanced manufacturing and creating jobs across the state.”
Hyundai established a battery plant in West Java, Indonesia, in July 2024, when President Joko Widodo attended the ceremonial opening of the country’s first EV battery factory.
In August 2026, the NSW Critical Minerals Processing and Advanced Materials Innovation Program was announced, with a goal to establish “a pipeline of locally developed technologies ready for up-scaling, investment and market adoption”.
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“From clean energy to advanced manufacturing, critical minerals will underpin the technologies that power the future,” Mr Chanthivong said in a press release at the time.
Australian company Clutch Industries recently secured funding to build a scalable battery manufacturing line in Coburg North, Victoria.
The near-$20 million project includes $6.77 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
