General Motors announced Tuesday it will push back electric truck production at its Orion assembly plant in Michigan by another year. GM now plans to begin EV truck production in late 2025.
EV truck production delayed at GM Orion assembly
The Orion assembly plant, where the current Chevy Bolt EV and EUV are built, was expected to begin building electric trucks next year.
However, according to a recent statement from GM, that will have to wait another year. Spokesperson Kevin Kelley said in a statement (via The Detroit News) that GM is delaying EV truck production “to better manage capital investment while aligning with evolving EV demand.”
Kelley added that the automaker has “identified engineering improvements” that will be implemented to boost profitability.
GM has already begun building the Chevy Silverado EV WT at its Factory Zero Plant, its first dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant. The automaker sold 18 Silverado EVs in the third quarter. The plan is for the top-of-the-line Silverado EV RST trim to join it later this year.
The automaker already announced it will end Bolt EV and EUV production later this year as it works to ramp up its Ultium-based models.
Although GM has confirmed the Bolt EV will live on as an Ultium-based model, details like timing and production have yet to be released.
Last year, GM announced a massive $4 billion investment to overhaul and prepare the Orion assembly plant for EV truck production. The automaker expanded with a nearly $200 million parts plant to boost efficiency.
GM initially planned to build around 600,000 electric trucks between Factory Zero and Orion annually.
Electrek’s Take
Top comment by Geir Gaseidnes
The delta between EV roadmap announcements and actual deliveries continues to be huge. Turns out it's harder than it seemed, and that it's much harder to do it profitably (thus far).
The news comes after Ford announced it would temporarily cut one of three shifts at its Rouge EV plant on Monday, impacting around 700 jobs.
Both GM and Ford have struggled to transition in the EV era despite significant investments. GM’s electric vehicle sales accounted for just under 3% of overall sales in the third quarter, while Ford’s was just over 4%.
Other automakers like Mercedes-Benz are already achieving double-digit EV sales. Mercedes electric vehicles reached nearly 15% of total US sales in Q3.
Ford has already introduced a new incentive (offering up to $15,000 off total) on the F-150 Lightning to boost demand.
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