Hyundai makes $55 million deal to put its name on Georgia Tech football field

Hyundai Motor Co. is ready to take the field for college football season.

The South Korean automaker made a $55 million deal this month to obtain the naming rights to the Georgia Institute of Technology’s field for the next 20 years. The Yellow Jackets will now play in Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.

“Proximity to institutions like Georgia Tech was one of the many reasons Hyundai selected Georgia for our new EV manufacturing facility,” Hyundai Motor North America CEO Jose Muñoz said in a statement. “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Georgia Tech, which will include opportunities for student professional development and cooperative work programs in addition to athletic engagements.”

The venue, known as Grant Field when it opened in 1913, is the oldest on-campus stadium in the Football Bowl Subdivision, which is college football’s top division. It was renamed for Dodd, a former coach and athletic director at the school, in 1988.

The deal comes as Hyundai builds a $5.5 billion electric vehicle and battery plant near Savannah. The plant, expected to open in the fall of 2024 and employ about 8,100 people, is about 250 miles southeast of Georgia Tech’s stadium and main campus in Atlanta. Hyundai created a $120,000 scholarship for science, technology, engineering and math students at Georgia Tech when it broke ground for the plant last year.

“Like Georgia Tech, Hyundai is a global brand that is synonymous with quality, innovation and a commitment to advancing technology to make a positive difference in the world,” said Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera. “The more we have gotten to know each other, the more obvious the alignment of our values has become. I am grateful for the transformative investments Hyundai is making in our state, and I am proud that the Hyundai brand will feature prominently on our campus.”

Hyundai joins several other automakers that have put their name on a football stadium, although most are home to pro teams. The Atlanta Falcons play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Tennessee Titans play at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, and the Detroit Lions play at Ford Field.