ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – General Motors is investing $300 million in its Orion Assembly Plant to produce a new Chevrolet electric vehicle that will bring 400 new jobs to the Orion plant.
Chariman and CEO Mary Barra said Friday's announcement is part of GM’s new commitment to invest a total of $1.8 billion in its United States manufacturing operations, creating 700 new jobs and supporting 28,000 jobs across six states.
The new Chevrolet electric vehicle is in addition to the existing Chevrolet Bolt EV. It will be designed and engineered off an advanced version of the current award-winning Bolt EV architecture. Additional product information and timing for the new Chevrolet EV will be released closer to production, GM said.
400 new jobs at Orion plant
The 400 additional jobs are incremental to numbers associated with GM’s transformation announcement last fall. The new Chevrolet EV is in addition to the company’s earlier announcement that Cadillac will be the first brand to get vehicles off a future EV platform.
“We are excited to bring these jobs and this investment to the U.S.,” said Barra during an announcement at the plant with employees, elected officials and community leaders. “This new Chevrolet electric vehicle is another positive step toward our commitment to an all-electric future. GM will continue to invest in our U.S. operations where we see opportunities for growth."
Watch Barra speak here:
Production was to be outside U.S.
The new electric vehicle had been slated for production outside of the U.S. Barra said the decision to bring it to Orion was based on many factors, including:
- The Orion plant currently builds the Bolt EV, and the new Chevrolet EV will be based off an advanced version of the same vehicle architecture.
- Moving production to a U.S. manufacturing plant supports the rules of origin provisions in the proposed United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement.
- In addition to the job growth at the Orion plant, GM has job opportunities at several other U.S. manufacturing plants for virtually all U.S. hourly employees impacted by the recent announcement of unallocated plants. Other GM manufacturing plants adding jobs include Flint, Michigan; Spring Hill, Tennessee; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Arlington, Texas; and Toledo, Ohio.
For the 2,800 impacted U.S. hourly employees at GM’s unallocated plants, GM said it has 2,700 openings across its U.S. manufacturing plants. To date, 1,100 employees have been placed at other GM plants, with several hundred more in the process of being placed in new jobs. In addition, 1,200 of these employees are retirement eligible, according to General Motors.
In Michigan, in addition to the jobs and investment coming to the Orion plant, GM is in the process of adding 1,000 jobs at the Flint Truck Assembly Plant, recently announced new investments at the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant and Romulus Propulsion Plant and this week revealed the all-new Cadillac CT5 to be produced at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant.
Orion Assembly currently builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Chevrolet Sonic and the Cruise AV test vehicles. The plant currently employs about 880 hourly and 130 salaried employees. Including the new investment, GM has invested nearly $1 billion at Orion Assembly since 2009.
Statement from UAW vice president
UAW Vice President Terry Dittes released this official statement on the investment:
"The great workforce at Lake Orion understands that today’s announcement will provide over 400 new jobs for a General Motors product of the future built by UAW Local 5960 members for years to come right here in Michigan. Today’s GM commitment of $300 million to build this electric vehicle, with our UAW members, is a good start on GM's investment toward keeping future manufacturing jobs here in America."