General Motors committed to a $2-billion capital improvement at its Spring Hill, Tenn. assembly plant to convert it for electric vehicle manufacturing, and plans to manufacture the new Cadillac Lyriq crossover EV there. The five-door Lyriq crossover will be Cadillac's first electric vehicle and the second produced by GM for sale in North America.
The automaker noted it has committed more than $4.5 billion for EV-related vehicle production over the last 19 months.
In the capital program that will begin immediately, Spring Hill's paint and body shops will be expanded and the general assembly operations will be upgraded, including new machinery, conveyors, controls, and tooling. Currently, the Lyriq is due to be introduced with the 2022 model year.
Spring Hill will continue to assemble the Cadillac XT6 full-size sedan and XT5 crossover SUV.
"We are committed to investing in the U.S., our employees and our communities," stated GM chairman and CEO Mary Barra. "These investments underscore the success of our vehicles today, and our vision of an all-electric future."
Spring Hill represents the third GM plant designated for EV manufacturing and assembly, including the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant — which will be relabeled "Factory Zero" — where GM will invest $2.2 billion to produce the GMC Hummer EV pick-up truck, starting in late 2021. Following that, the plant will manufacture the Cruise Origin self-driving EV.
GM also has set $32 million for the Flint (Mich.) Assembly plant for future production of heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pick-ups; and $17 million for the Romulus, Mich. propulsion plant to enhance automation and increase capacity of GM's 10-speed truck transmission, which is used in full-size pickups and other key products, including the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and the Cadillac Escalade.
Also, GM has committed $3.5 million for the Orion (Mich.) Assembly plant to expand production of the Cruise AV test vehicle, as well as $750,000 in Charter Township, Mich., in an effort related to that expansion.
