- Low sales of GM’s electric pickup trucks have forced the carmaker to change plans.
- From 2027, the Orion Assembly plant will start building the Escalade, Silverado, and Sierra.
- GM received $480 million in state grants to make Orion an EV assembly hub.
General Motors had grandiose ambitions to morph its Orion Assembly plant into an EV-only site. To do so, roughly $4 billion was being invested in the site, and once production of the previous-gen Bolt and Bolt EUV had wrapped up, the plan was to start building the electric Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV en masse. That hasn’t happened, and it’s now been confirmed that three of GM’s biggest gas guzzlers will be built at the site instead.
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As we first reported in June, GM has made a 180-degree turn at Orion. This week, it revealed that it will start building the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado, and GMC Sierra at the facility in 2027. No reason has been given as to why production won’t start until 2027, but it likely has something to do with the fact that much of the plant will need to be re-engineered and new equipment must be installed to produce these gas-powered models.
Read: These Were The EVs Americans Actually Bought In 2025
According to a GM spokesperson, shifting production of these strong-sellers will “help meet continued strong customer demand.” The automaker also said it’s “proud to call Michigan home, and these moves will further strengthen our manufacturing footprint.”
The Escalade is currently built with the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and GMC Yukon at a plant in Arlington, Texas. Meanwhile, GM builds both the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado at its Fort Wayne Assembly site in Indiana, as well as sites in Mexico and Canada. All production to be handled by the site in Orion will be in addition to existing production, the Detroit Free Press reports.
GM’s EV plans dead in the water
GM initially committed to making the Orion site an EV hub after receiving $480 million in state grants through the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund. This called for it to expand the plant to make more battery-electric vehicles. While this has raised some eyebrows since no EVs will be built at the plant, the Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC) says the company still remains in compliance with the grants received.
“GM remains in compliance with their incentive agreement and we’re grateful for their continued commitment to creating jobs and investing here in Michigan, whether it be at the Lake Orion facility or at Factory Zero,” MEDC vice president of communications Courtney Overberg Martinez said.
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