GM To Announce $300 Million Investment To Build EVs, AVs At Detroit Plant

Following a string of not-so-positive decisions for its U.S. operations in recent months, it looks like General Motors finally has something good to announce.

The carmaker is expected to reveal plans to invest $300 million at the Orion Township plant in suburban Detroit to build electric and autonomous vehicles. The facility would build cars for the Chevrolet brand and the company’s self-driving Cruise unit, Reuters reports.

GM will build a new electric compact vehicle for Chevrolet, two unnamed insiders told the news agency, and will also formally endorse the revised North American free trade deal known as USMCA.

Originally, the automaker was expected to build the new EV at one of its Chinese plants, and its likely that it will stress the fact that the new EV is being built in the United States thanks to the new trade deal that is still pending approval from the U.S. Congress. Not much is known about Chevy’s new compact EV other than it shares the same BEV3 architecture with the Bolt and Cruise AV that are manufactured in the same facility.

While the automaker declined to comment, it said on Thursday that company executives, UAW vice president Terry Dittes, and government officials will be present on Friday at the Orion plant to reveal “a major new investment focused on the development of GM future technologies.”

GM CEO Mary Barra is expected to make the announcement, which could lead to the creation of hundreds of jobs at the Detroit plant. A year ago, the automaker said it would spend $100 million to upgrade the Orion Township plant to prepare it for the commercial production of the Cruise AV in late 2019.

Note: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV pictured