New Delhi: Steel structure construction for a new body shop is underway at the General Motors (GM) Spring Hill Complex in Tennessee, the company said in a release.
With this, the assembly plant begins the transition to become the company’s third vehicle manufacturing site to produce electric vehicles, joining Factory Zero in Detroit, Michigan, and Orion Assembly in Orion Township, Michigan.
Last year, GM announced a USD2 billion investment in Spring Hill to build fully electric vehicles, including the all-new Cadillac Lyriq. The new body shop will consist of a 324,000 sqft area dedicated to building major sheet metal components for that vehicle.
The new building, along with new tooling, equipment and automation will comprise the advanced body structure for the Lyriq.
The Spring Hill Complex builds both vehicles and engines and has more than 3,200 employees. The facility will produce traditionally-powered vehicles along with EVs.
“This is a historic moment for Spring Hill and the first major building expansion for our vehicle assembly space since initial opening in 1990,” Jeff Lamarche, plant executive director of Spring Hill’s vehicle assembly plant, said. “The LYRIQ will be the first of many EVs to be produced at Spring Hill and we’re honoured and excited to be a part of GM’s all-electric future.”
General Motors has committed to transitioning its entire fleet of light-duty vehicles to zero-emission powertrains by 2035 as part of an effort to go carbon neutral across the company by 2040.The automaker is in the process of launching 30 all-electric models by 2025.
The 2035 goal applies to cars and light-duty trucks, with heavy and medium-duty trucks following by 2040. It currently sells 137 different models worldwide.
At the heart of GM’s all-electric future strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which powers everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands.
