General Motors Co. in Detroit today announced a $2-billion investment at its Spring Hill, Tenn., assembly plant to transition the automaker’s third vehicle manufacturing site to produce electric vehicles, joining Factory ZERO in Detroit/Hamtramck and Orion Assembly in Orion Township.
In addition, the automaker said it would invest more than $152 million in five Michigan plants, including Lansing Delta Township Assembly and Flint Assembly for future crossover and full-size pickup production.
The all-new Cadillac LYRIQ will be the first EV produced at Spring Hill. Production of the Cadillac XT6 and XT5 will continue at Spring Hill. The facility also will build both traditionally powered Cadillac products and EVs.
The six U.S. facility investments total more than $2 billion, bringing the total amount GM has invested or committed to invest in its U.S. manufacturing sites to more than $29 billion since 2009, according to company officials. Today’s planned investments include:
- $2 billion will be invested in Spring Hill Manufacturing to build fully electric vehicles including the luxury Cadillac LYRIQ. Through the investment, Spring Hill’s paint and body shops will undergo major expansions and the general assembly will receive comprehensive upgrades, including new machines, conveyors, controls, and tooling. The renovation work in Spring Hill will begin immediately.
- Production of the next-generation GMC Acadia will move to Lansing Delta Township Assembly, representing an investment of more than $100 million.
- $32 million will be invested at Flint Assembly for future production of heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
- $17 million will be invested in the Romulus propulsion plant to enhance automation and increase capacity of GM’s 10-speed truck transmission, which is used in full-size pickups and other key products, including the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and the Cadillac Escalade.
- $3.5 million will be invested at Orion Assembly. In addition, $750,000 will be invested at GM’s site in Brownstown Township. Both investments are related to additional production of the Cruise AV test vehicle at Orion Assembly.
The automaker stated launch timing and additional product details will be released at a later date.
“We are committed to investing in the U.S., our employees, and our communities,” says Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of GM. “These investments underscore the success of our vehicles today, and our vision of an all-electric future.”
In the last 19 months, GM said it has committed to invest more than $4.5 billion at three U.S. manufacturing sites to prepare those facilities for EV-related vehicle production.
In January, GM announced it was investing $2.2 billion at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, which last week was renamed Factory ZERO, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center. Production of the first all-electric GMC HUMMER EV pickup, the first of a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs to be built at GM’s Factory ZERO plant, will begin in late 2021. This will be followed soon after by the Cruise Origin, a purpose-built electric, self-driving vehicle.
When Factory ZERO is fully operational, the investment will create more than 2,200 manufacturing jobs, the automaker said. GM is also investing an additional $800 million in supplier tooling and other projects related to the launch of the new electric trucks.
In March 2019, GM announced it would invest $300 million in Orion Assembly to produce a new Chevrolet electric vehicle, bringing 400 new jobs to the facility. This new Chevrolet EV joins the existing Chevrolet Bolt EV and will be designed and engineered based on an advanced version of the current Bolt EV architecture.
Separately, GM and LG Chem formed a joint venture – Ultium Cells LLC – and together are investing more than $2.3 billion to build a new, state-of-the-art battery cell manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio that will create more than 1,100 new jobs. Construction of the facility is well underway.
In Related News, two new independent studies show GM produces more models with the highest amounts of American-produced components than any other automaker.
In the Cars.com annual American-Made Index for 2020, nine of the top 25 models are GM products, more than any other manufacturer. The Cars.com report ranked 91 models assembled in the U.S. for the 2020 model year, rating them across several factors, including percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts; country of origin for available engines; country of origin for available transmissions; and U.S. manufacturing employees relative to the automaker’s footprint.
On the American University Kogod School of Business Made in America Auto Index, 10 GM models ranked in the top 25, the most of any manufacturer. In addition, the Made in America Auto Index ranked GM highest among manufacturers for total domestic content across all 2020 models. Total domestic content measures the extent to which each manufacturer serves the U.S. market from a local base, including components produced in the U.S. and Canada.
Both studies measure models based on the location of final assembly, as well as the production of key components.
The following GM vehicles (with assembly location) ranked in the top 25 of both surveys:
- Chevrolet Corvette – Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Chevrolet Colorado – Wentzville, Missouri
- GMC Canyon – Wentzville, Missouri
- Chevrolet Camaro – Lansing, Michigan
- Cadillac CT5 – Lansing, Michigan
- Cadillac XT4 – Fairfax, Kansas
- Cadillac XT5 – Spring Hill, Tennessee
- Cadillac XT6 – Spring Hill, Tennessee
- GMC Acadia – Spring Hill, Tennessee
