GM adding second electric vehicle to Lake Orion plant

Orion Township, Michigan — General Motors is investing $300 million in its Orion Township, Michigan, assembly plant to produce a new Chevrolet electric vehicle that will bring 400 new jobs to the Orion plant. 

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 Bolt EV architecture. Additional product information and timing for the new Chevrolet EV will be released closer to production.

“We are excited to bring these jobs and this investment to the U.S.,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary 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.”

The new electric vehicle had been slated for production outside of the U.S. The decision to bring it to Orion was based on the plant already building the Bolt and trade changes related to the NAFTA-replacing U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The expansion in Michigan creates job opportunities for people at the four U.S. GM plants that have closed or are set to close this year. For the 2,800 impacted U.S. hourly employees at GM’s unallocated plants, GM has confirmed it has 2,700 openings across its U.S. manufacturing plants. To date, 1,100 employees have transferred, with several hundred more in the process of being placed in new jobs. In addition, 1,200 of these employees are retirement eligible.

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.