General Motors Co. in Detroit has announced plans to invest more than $500 million in its Arlington Assembly plant in Texas to prepare it for production of future internal combustion engine (ICE) full-size SUVs, subject to successful discussions with local government officials.
According to the automaker, the investment will enable the company to strengthen its full-size SUV business. Product details and timing related to GM’s future full-size SUVs are not being released at this time.
The investment brings GM’s U.S. manufacturing and parts distribution facility investment commitments to more than $31 billion since 2013.
“Today we are announcing plans for a significant investment in Arlington to strengthen our industry-leading full-size SUV business,” says Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability at GM. “Preparing the plant to produce future ICE full-size SUVs reflects our commitment to our valued customers and the efforts of the dedicated Arlington Assembly employees, who have been breaking production records this year.”
Arlington Assembly builds GM’s entire portfolio of full-size SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade-V.
Through the investment, Arlington Assembly will receive new tooling and equipment in its stamping, body shop, and general assembly areas.
GM has announced nearly $2 billion in investments for Arlington Assembly since 2013.
The automaker also announced last week it is collaborating with Tesla to integrate the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector design into its EVs beginning in 2025. Additionally, the collaboration will expand access to charging for GM EV drivers at 12,000 Tesla Superchargers throughout North America.
The agreement complements GM’s ongoing investments in charging, reinforcing the company’s focus on expanding charging access across home, workplace, and public spaces, and builds on the more than 134,000 chargers available to GM EV drivers today through the company’s Ultium Charge 360 initiative and mobile apps.
“Our vision of the all-electric future means producing millions of world-class EVs across categories and price points, while creating an ecosystem that will accelerate mass EV adoption,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “This collaboration is a key part of our strategy and an important next step in quickly expanding access to fast chargers for our customers. Not only will it help make the transition to electric vehicles more seamless for our customers, but it could help move the industry toward a single North American charging standard.”
The Tesla Supercharger Network will be open to GM EV drivers starting in 2024 and will initially require the use of an adapter. Beginning in 2025, the first GM EVs will be built with a NACS inlet for direct access to Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. In the future, GM will make adapters available for drivers of NACS-enabled vehicles to allow charging on CCS-capable fast charge stations.
GM will also integrate the Tesla Supercharger Network into its vehicle and mobile apps, helping drivers quickly and easily locate, pay for, and initiate charging at available Tesla Superchargers. This will complement the charging experience at the growing Ultium Charge 360 Network of charging stations, as well as additional charging stations GM makes available through existing integrations with other charging networks.
In recent weeks, Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn announced a similar deal with Tesla.
