General Motors officially announced today that they would renovate their Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant into an all-electric vehicle production plant. The factory will first produce an as-yet unnamed electric pickup truck, followed by the autonomous Cruise Origin and electric SUVs. It currently produces the Cadillac CT6 and the Chevrolet Impala.
The factory overhaul will involve “comprehensive upgrades” to the facility’s paint and body shops, conveyors, controls, and tooling, all to the tune of $2.2 billion. According to GM, once fully operational, the plant will create more than 2,200 manufacturing jobs.
“Through this investment, GM is taking a big step forward in making our vision of an all-electric future a reality,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM, at an event held for the press. He said the as-yet-unnamed pickup “will be the first of multiple electric truck variants we will build at Detroit-Hamtramck over the next few years.”
Rumored to be among those variants is a re-tooled electric Hummer: The original Hummer brand of heavy SUVs began losing money in the 2000s as gas prices rose to prohibitive highs, and production was discontinued in 2010. An electric Hummer would be a familiar offering next to the boxy, self-driving Cruise Origin. The Origin, which lacks a steering wheel and accelerator, is designed to be used as a ride-sharing vehicle.
Funding for the new plant was included in the UAW-GM deal forged last year following a 40-day strike. That deal also included funding for a battery plant joint venture with LG Chem in Lordstown, Ohio, which GM said would power the electric trucks made in Detroit. In a statement, UAW chief Terry Dittes called the announcement "a testament to the perseverance of our UAW members" and said it would offer increased job security to workers at Detroit Hamtramck.
