General Motors will invest $449 million (€324 million) to upgrade manufacturing processes at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and Brownstown Battery Assembly plants, as the company prepares for the next generation of electric vehicles and battery technologies.
The investment is the largest to date at both facilities and includes $384 million (€277 million) at Detroit-Hamtramck for new Body Shop tooling, equipment, and additional plant upgrades to build the next generation Chevrolet Volt and two future products.
GM didn’t offer details about the two additional models, but those are likely to be the next-generation Cadillac ELR and Opel Ampera. With this new announcement, GM’s total investment at Detroit-Hamtramck is more than $1 billion (€722 million) over the last five years.
The carmaker will also invest $65 million (€47 million) at its Brownstown Battery Assembly to support the next generation of lithium-ion battery production and future battery systems.
“These investments will help the next-generation Chevrolet Volt build on its position as the leader in electrified propulsion,” said Gerald Johnson, GM North America Manufacturing vice president.
The Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant produces Chevrolet Volt, Cadillac ELR and Opel Ampera extended-range electric vehicles for markets in 33 countries. The plant also builds the Chevrolet Malibu and Impala sedans.
Brownstown Battery Assembly produces the lithium-ion battery packs for GM’s extended-range electric vehicles. It started mass production in October 2010 and is the first high-volume manufacturing site in the U.S. operated by a major automaker for automotive lithium-ion battery production.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
