General Motors is investing $300 million in its Orion Township, Mich., assembly plant to produce a new Chevrolet electric vehicle (EV). According to GM, the move is expected to bring 400 new jobs to the Orion plant.
The new EV had been slated for production outside of the U.S.; however, it will be designed and engineered off an advanced version of the current Bolt EV architecture, which is produced at the Orion plant. In addition, moving production to a U.S. manufacturing plant supports the rules of origin provisions in the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, the automaker says.
“We are excited to bring these jobs and this investment to the U.S.,” says Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of GM. “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.”
Additional product information and timing for the new Chevrolet EV will be released closer to production, notes GM.
Orion Assembly builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Chevrolet Sonic and the Cruise AV test vehicles. It currently employs about 880 hourly and 130 salaried employees.
The new announcement is part of GM’s commitment to invest $1.8 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations.
