All-electric Silverado ute. Source: Mary Barra/Twitter
American automotive icon General Motors (GM) is reportedly planning to build a new electric vehicle (EV) parts plant to support the production of the company’s new electric truck, the Silverado EV, due to be launched later this year.
Various reports have shone a light on GM’s plans to build a new light industrial plant on the former site of The Palace of Auburn Hills, the site of the infamous “Malice at the Palace” fight which broke out between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers basketball teams in 2004.
According to local outlet WXYZ Detroit, information from the Auburn Hills Planning Commission reveals that General Motors is hoping to build a 1.1 million-square-foot factory on the site.
The factory would operate as a plant to manufacture components for EVs being assembled at the nearby Orion Assembly Plant, which is also on the cards for a $US4 billion overhaul.
The Orion plant is where the Chevy Bolt EV has been built but, as GM announced late last month, it is ending production of the Chevy Bolt later this year as it makes way for EVs build on GM’s next-generation Ultium platform.
GM’s Orion plantt has been designated as a secondary site to produce the upcoming Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. GM’s landmark Factory Zero in Detroit will be the primary production facility for both the electric Silverado and Sierra.
Expected to cost around $US200 million, GM reportedly wants to begin construction as soon as July with completion expected for November 2024.
The Silverado was announced back in April 2021 and will be built on GM’s Ultium platform. GM shared glimpses of the Silverado a year ago, which is expected to offer a range of nearly 650km on a full charge and will offer four-wheel steering and optional 24-inch wheels on select models and trims.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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