General Motors has already invested heavily into its first electric vehicle plant, the former Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center that is now Factory Zero. Now, the company has announced that its Spring Hill Manufacturing plant will be a second manufacturing base for electric vehicles.

The plant started its life as the home of the Saturn Corporation. It currently builds the Cadillac XT5 and XT6, and GMC Acadia. GM’s release stated that the plant will continue to produce the Cadillacs and add the forthcoming 2023 Cadillac Lyriq to its assembly duties. Production of the Acadia will move to DM’s Lansing Delta Township Assembly at the cost of $100 million. GM’s Lansing plant is a LEED gold-certified automobile plant that currently produces the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse. The Acadias was made there until 2016 so the move is a homecoming of sorts.

Chevrolet is refreshing the interior and exterior of its Traverse for 2022.
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet

As part of the $2 billion investment into Spring Hill,GM will expand the plant’s paint and body shop and comprehensively upgrade general assembly including new machines, conveyors, controls, and tooling. Work is slated to begin at the facility immediately.

Included in the $2 billion figure is $32 million to be invested at Flint Assembly (Michigan) for the future production of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickup trucks. An additional $17 million will be invested in the company’s Romulus, Michigan propulsion plant to increase the capability to produce GM’s 10-speed truck transmission, which is used in a number of key GM products including its trucks and SUVs.

Two smaller amounts, $3.5 million and $750,000 will be invested at Orion Assembly and in Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan, respectively, in relation to the company’s production of the Cruise AV test vehicle.

In the last 19 months, GM has committed to invest more than $4.5 billion at three U.S. manufacturing sites to prepare those facilities for EV-related vehicle production.

Separately, GM and LG Chem formed a joint venture – Ultium Cells LLC – and together are investing more than $2.3 billion to build a new battery cell manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio next to Lordstown Motors HQ that will create more than 1,100 new jobs. Construction of the facility is underway.