GM Investing $1B Into Michigan Plants For New Combustion-Engine HD Pickups

General Motors will add another $1 billion to its investment tab, promising significant upgrades for two of its long-standing manufacturing centers in Flint, Michigan. Rather than investing in electric tech, however, this money will go towards next-generation Chevrolet and GMC heavy-duty pickup trucks with combustion engines.

Specifically, GM’s Flint Metal Center will gain new stamping dies and refurbished equipment, costing $233 million. Another $788 million is earmarked for the Flint Assembly plant, where numerous updates along with new equipment and expansions of various facilities are planned. Flint Assembly is where the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD trucks are built.

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The latest announcement comes after another half-billion investment earmarked for Flint. In January 2023, GM committed $579 million to update its Flint Engine Operations facility, preparing it for the company’s next-generation small-block V8 engine. At the same time, GM announced $216 million for another plant in nearby Bay City, Michigan. All total, that’s $1.8 billion from the Detroit automaker going to this region of Michigan alone.

Moving outside the Great Lake State, GM committed $650 million in February for a Nevada Lithium mine to produce EV batteries. $168 million is going to upgrade manufacturing centers in New York, Ohio, and Indiana, and these are just announcements within the last several months. It’s all part of a $30 billion commitment from GM to invest in various US-based facilities going back to 2013.

“Today we are announcing significant investments in Flint to strengthen our industry-leading full-size pickup business by preparing two plants to build the next-generation ICE HD trucks,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president for global manufacturing and sustainability. “These investments reflect our commitment to our loyal truck customers and the efforts of the dedicated employees of Flint Assembly and Flint Metal Center.”

Built in 1947, Flint Assembly is the oldest assembly plant still operating in GM’s North American network. It’s also the last remaining vehicle assembly plant left in Flint, which was once a hub of manufacturing in the auto industry dating back to the early 1900s.