Hyundai motor shares jump 15% to record high on Nvidia partnership speculation

Shares of Hyundai Motor surged nearly 15% on Wednesday, hitting an all-time high in morning trading and significantly outperforming South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI, which rose 1.2%. The rally was driven by market speculation over a potential deepening of the automaker’s partnership with U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, according to Reuters.

Investor optimism increased following reports of a meeting between Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas. The talks fueled expectations that cooperation between the two companies could expand beyond a simple chip supply relationship.

Shin Yoon-chul, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, said Hyundai’s announcement about plans to deploy Atlas humanoid robots in its factories was not sufficient on its own to justify the sharp rise in the stock price. He noted that robot production is expected to reach around 30,000 units by 2028, and that the Atlas robot was presented at CES only as a static mock-up.

However, Shin added that the market appears to be pricing in the possibility of a broader strategic alliance with Nvidia, potentially including Nvidia investments in Hyundai Motor Group affiliates. Such a move could provide further upside for Hyundai Motor shares and related companies.

As interest in artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies continues to grow, investors are closely watching developments in the relationship between Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia.