General Motors says production at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant will be shut down at the end of February to accommodate a $2.2 billion renovation at the 35-year old plant. Upon completion of the work, the facility will be the company’s first fully-dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant.
Detroit-Hamtramck currently operates one shift, building the Cadillac CT6 and the Chevrolet Impala. There are 900 employees at the assembly plant that has built over 4 million vehicles since opening in 1985.
Once the renovations have been completed at the plant, GM says it will produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs. GM’s first all-electric truck will be a pickup with production scheduled to begin in late 2021. This will be followed soon after by the Cruise Origin, a shared, electric, self-driving vehicle unveiled by Cruise in San Francisco last week.
At a press event at the plant, Mark Reuss, GM president said “Through this investment, GM is taking a big step forward in making our vision of an all-electric future a reality.”
“Our electric pickup will be the first of multiple electric truck variants we will build at Detroit-Hamtramck over the next few years.”
When Detroit-Hamtramck is fully operational, it will employ over 2,200 workers. The company says it will also invest an additional $800 million in supplier tooling and other projects related to the launch of new electric trucks.
Back in 2018, GM committed to investing over $2.5 billion in various Michigan plants, including the Orion assembly plant, GM battery lab, Brownstown as well as Detroit-Hamtramck, to bring EVs to market.
The plant’s paint and body shops and general assembly area will receive comprehensive upgrades, including new machines, conveyors, controls and tooling.
LG Chem is investing $2.3 billion to manufacture battery cells in Lordstown, Ohio. LG Chem will supply batteries for the EVs manufactured at Detroit-Hamtramck.
Reuss said the Michigan state government was a key element in making the investment possible. “This investment helps ensure that Michigan will remain at the epicenter of the global automotive industry as we continue our journey to an electrified future.”
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