Donald Trump stole GM’s thunder yesterday by being the first to announce that the automaker is negotiating a sale of its Lordstown plant in Ohio to Workhorse Group.
As it turns out, the U.S. President was right. Not long after his tweets, GM announced that it is “in discussions with Workhorse Group Inc. and an affiliated, newly formed entity to sell the company’s Lordstown Complex in Lordstown, Ohio.”
According to the automaker, “the move has the potential to bring significant production and electric vehicle assembly jobs to the plant.” GM added that upon final agreement, the newly formed entity led by Workhorse founder Steve Burns would acquire the facility. This will leave Workhorse Group holding a minority interest in the new entity.
“We remain committed to growing manufacturing jobs in the U.S., including in Ohio, and we see this development as a potential win-win for everyone,” said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO. “Workhorse has innovative technologies that could help preserve Lordstown’s more than 50-year tradition of vehicle assembly work,” the executive added.
Also read: Businessman Wanted To Buy Thousands Of Cruzes To Keep Lordstown Plant Open
GM’s release said that upon final agreement with all parties, including the UAW, work could begin immediately to prepare the facility for new production. Workhorse founder Steve Burns said his company is planning to build a commercial electric pickup at Lordstown Assembly.
“The first vehicle we would plan to build if we were to purchase the Lordstown Complex would be a commercial electric pickup, blending Workhorse’s technology with Lordstown’s manufacturing expertise,” Burns said. While he didn’t identify the model, he was most likely referring to the Workhorse W-15 plug-in hybrid pickup truck unveiled in 2017 which is yet to enter production.
The Lordstown Assembly plant built the Chevrolet Cruze compact car until March 6 when GM stopped production.
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