Hyundai Motor Group is planning to invest $12.2 billion in r&d and facilities next year. The Group that includes Kia Motors Corp and Hyundai Motor Co set an investment plan that represents a 15.6 percent increase in spending levels from 2011, plus spending around $4.4 billion on r&d efforts in order to speed up the improvement of fuel efficient and eco friendly vehicles.

Hyundai is planning to dedicate $7.9 billion for facilities, while $2.6 billion of this amount will be utilized in upgrading reconstructing manufacturing facilities overseas and in South Korea. It is important to know that the steel production of Hyundai Motor Group will benefit from these $7.9 billion investment in facilities.

Moreover, this investment plan came alongside great performance being showed by Hyundai and Kia in the United States and many other markets. Both carmakers said they plan to sell around seven million vehicles around the globe in 2012, after selling 6.5 million units this year. Kia and Hyundai dealers in the United States had only a 30 day supply of cars on December, which is less than half the average of 61 days in the industry.

Both automakers were so solid when the recession was corroding corporate earnings in South Korea and the U.S, noting that weak global demand caused Hyundai and Kia shipments to drop, but now most of their factories are working at full or near full capacity.