Big changes are afoot at the GM Lake Orion plant in Michigan. As GM Authority exclusively covered last month, the automaker is currently constructing an enormous new structure on the south side of the facility. Now, GM Authority has exclusive photos that document the construction progress at the GM plant thus far.
As we can see from the photos, the new expansion covers a lot of ground, and is estimated to take up roughly the size of a parking lot with regard to footprint. While the new structure has yet to really take shape, it looks as though the very start of construction prep is underway now.
The exact purpose of the new GM plant expansion is not yet known. However, it’s believed that the new structure will support production of the new GM electric vehicles. Per previous GM Authority coverage, The General has delayed the start of production of the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV at the Lake Orion facility, with both all-electric pickups originally slated to begin rolling off the line late in the 2024 calendar year. Now, however, it’s expected that the Lake Orion facility will begin production of the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV later in the 2025 calendar year. General Motors says the delay will enable the automaker to “better manage capital investment while aligning with evolving EV demand,” possibly indicating lower-than-expected demand for EVs. GM still expects to transition its light-duty vehicle fleet to zero-emission powertrains by the 2035 timeframe, with an expected 200,000 to 300,000 new EV units produced in North America this year alone.
GM previously announced a $6.5 billion investment for the GM Lake Orion and GM Delta Township Assembly plants in 2022, with the former originally slated to receive a new battery assembly line.
The GM Lake Orion facility is located in Lake Orion, Michigan, roughly 30 miles north of Detroit. The new structure currently under construction will face Brown Road. The facility currently employs 277 workers according to GM, and spans 4.3 million square feet across 433 acres.
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Comments
Building more electric vehicles that are selling slowly?
Yup, the curve came too quickly for gm to respond to it. Lots of inertia there. Hopefully it is not Dead Man’s Curve for them. And to think, there was a time when they had the pulse of the customer coursing through their corporate veins. No more.
Blu,
Your comment is very well stated and to the point. Thank you.
Hi Robert. I hope things have been going well.
I would not be surprised that the year delay was to allow this plant to be able to produce ICE and hybrid vehicles as well as EVs.
I’d read mid last year before Mary B. Had moved any away from EV that senior executives were saying that she had over stepped in regard to the death of ICE vehicles. I to hope they don’t jump the guardrail, but with the EVs pricing themselves out of the average buyer’s wage the whole industry will slump.
All vehicles are selling slowly but evs the fastest growing segment of the market.
True, but remember that a large percentage of a small number is still a small number.
That is 200% false. The fastest growing segment is compact trucks, ford maverick and Hundai Santa Cruz. It’s for the same reason, when your a small segment, a couple thousand extra moved is a massive increase. This year will probably see Ev sales collapse, once again, because loosing any sales in a small segment is deviating for stats
Sorry to say but EV’S are not selling. Tesla is the only EV that’s selling. To many problems with EV’s……..
I would not be surprised if the delay is to allow this plant the ability to build ICE and hybrid as well as EVs. It came out in the news that the Biden administration is considering delaying the implementation of EVs until after 2030
Thanks for sharing information about this plant expansion
EVs are just another example that a soviet style government picking favorites doesn’t work as well as a capitalist. A consumer should be able to buy whatever they like in a free society. ICEs are still the overwhelming preference of buyers. That’s a good thing when we think about the future because there will never be an affordable, reliable used EV market for middle and low income people to buy to get to work. To get reliable, the battery pack needs to be replaced – which is not affordable. If workers can’t get to work, businesses fail, the economy collapses. Even rich EV enthusiasts will have to care as they see their stocks collapse. The futurist “masterminds” and “predictors” never talk about that part of the EV story… So fortunately federal administration policy is only good for 4 years, not out to 2030 or 2035…