GM To Build Cruise Origin At Detroit-Hamtramck Following $2.2B Investment
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General Motors has announced a planned investment of $2.2 billion in its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant to build its new electric vehicles. Additionally, the automaker announced the new Cruise Origin autonomous shuttle that debuted last week will be built at the plant, with the fully driverless vehicle set to go into production at the Metro Detroit plant in 2022.
While it has already known that GM was likely to make an investment in Detroit-Hamtramck, this announcement makes it official. The automaker previously agreed to allocate production of its new line of electric vehicles to Detroit-Hamtramck as part of the 2019 national agreement with the UAW, so an investment of some sort was expected at the plant. In a statement, GM president Mark Reuss said the investment “helps ensure that Michigan will remain at the epicenter of the global automotive industry as we continue our journey to an electrified future.” The plant will employ around 2,200 people when running at full capacity, GM said.
The first vehicle to be built at the refurbished Detroit-Hamtramck will be the automaker’s new electric pickup truck. This will be followed by the Cruise Origin a year later and then, according to media reports, the new electric Cadillac Escalade variant in 2023.
Cadillac is also expected to have a smaller electric crossover vehicle of some sort in the works, as well, having shown a design concept for such a vehicle as last year’s Detroit auto show. It’s not clear if this vehicle will be built at Detroit-Hamtramck when or if it reaches production, though GM is describing the site as its first dedicated EV plant, so it seems it will be home to many of the automaker’s future EVs.
Cadillac EV concept
In addition to the major plant investment, GM said this move will also require an additional $800 million for supplier tooling and other projects to develop the new electric vehicles, generating more business in the Michigan area and around the United States.
“Through this investment, GM is taking a big step forward in making our vision of an all-electric future a reality,” Reuss also said. “Our electric pickup will be the first of multiple electric truck variants we will build at Detroit-Hamtramck over the next few years.”
Detroit-Hamtramck previously built the Chevrolet Volt plug-in
GM is expected to make another major announcement with regard to its future electric vehicle plans during Super Bow LIV this weekend. The automaker has reportedly reserved a commercial slot during the big game that it will use to announce details on its new electric pickup. Rumors point to the truck featuring the Hummer nameplate in some way, but it will also allegedly be sold at GMC dealerships, so the branding strategy for the truck isn’t entirely clear at this point.
For now, you can subscribe to GM Authority to stay up on GM electric vehicle news, Detroit-Hamtramck news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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When GM first made the investments at Hamtramck after the strike there were rumors about a full EV Van being built here. I wonder if that was the Cruise Origin, without knowing its autonomous nature it sure looks like one.
This is a big move. It will be either a home run or a strike out. Time and how it is done will tell.
I hope it is not like many of GM’s tech advancements just before their time. Night Vision, Air Bags etc were all early and leading but failed before they become popular later on.
I agree. I guess the thing GM has going for it is that there will be several vehicles built off this platform, and I am sure a good portion of the output will be exported.
Well whatever the respective merits or demerits of these gm electric BEV’s are, at least they’re not la la land made Tesla. The tesla so called pickup is totally ugly and not very rugged being a unibody, it’s like something out of a comic book. I don’t see much future for self driving vehicles, therefore the cruise whatever is strictly a “compliance vehicle” , as for a Cadillac. Bev anything, well the Jaguar. Electric SUV has laid a giant goose egg. As far as electric charging infrastructure goes, aside from california and it’s only cities in california, BEV charging infrastructure is slim to nonexistant, same thing for CNG refueling infrastructure also, another goose egg. Gm made a great little. Electric with the Bolt and just cause it’s not a frakking tesla they can barely sell it. The volt was a fine. Extended range electric but because it had a gas pony engine and nota Godzilla sized battery the super greenies hate it. So far Bev is a busy and hardly worth 2.2 billion dollars. For that kind of money the Co2 direct to ethanol process could be perfected and commercialized.
What kills GM is design. The “uncool” company to be sure. Take a look at Cadillac design and you say WTF??? Who okayed this? Mary Frump Bara and her band of cohorts who cold not tell a car design from a toaster.
This is a shuttle not a personal car. This is just to move people efficiently so it was designed more about working than looking. It is no different than a small city bus.
The Private GM electric vehicles will be fine and not look like this.
The Origin shuttle shape is good enough for cargo, since it is easier to move cargo autonomously (as SpaceX did with the Dragon before the Crew Dragon last week) than move passengers. It will need no internal security features, and as such weigh less and cost less. I expect carriers, such as Amazon, Fed Ex, UPS, and even the USPS to use them.
so the EV truck goes into production in 2021. a year later, the AV goes into production in 2022.
did anyone ask reuss if the EV truck is going to be a money loser like the Bolt?
and this mini-bus … is there a clamor for such a vehicle? if you are too poor to own a car or can’t drive, it is a good idea. but for the rest of us, who the hell wants to rely on a mini-bus as their primary means of transportation?
“who the hell wants to rely on a mini-bus as their primary means of transportation?”
Those who use uber, lyft, Taxis, or public transportation in heavily congested cities. This is an attempt to lower traffic in cities. If you have several of these going to different locations it could lower the number of single occupancy vehicles clogging the streets.
and what are or will people in small cities, town, and villages to do!? Move to city so they can get shot and robbed ! LOL.
If you listen to some of the democratic presidential candidates and their supporters , they believe if you don’t live in a big city you are a dope and less than intelligent .
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party which is now in control hates anyone who does not live in big cities and agree with everything they say . 100% electric for all vehicles for which they are clamoring for is not possible anytime in the next 50 years
unless you live in a very dense city with pretty good public transportation, you want and need a car if you can afford one. i understand using uber/lyft so you can have a night out to get crazy drunk once in a while but for daily use, it doesn’t make sense.
has gm explained how this cuts congestion? in their idealized world, how is this going to work?
if gm’s argument is that the streets would be less congested if instead of having 1 or 2 passengers per vehicle, there were 6 … then yes that works on paper but the real world is a bit more complicated.
I think the Orgin is more or less window dressing. The feds have not even approved a vehicle without steering wheels and pedals for public use. I am sure it will be hand built in a corner of the plant either for export markets or for private use (e.g. malls or amusement parks to get people across the property).
Very Happy to hear this news.
GM is showing leadership again.
I’d like to see these commuter pods used in downtown Chicago, because the traffic is a real pain, roads are terrible, parking is expensive, and car thefts are common. I ain’t taking my clean 2015 Mailbu Hybrid in there.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra should store another $2.2 Billion in insurance liabilities because if any of the cars hit anything, the lawsuit would be massive as would be the payout… Billions.
Great news for Michigan. And GM has over one hundred years of truck building experience so, look out Tesla!