General Motors (GM) is planning to invest $918 million in four U.S. manufacturing sites, particularly in Michigan, Ohio, and New York. These investments will primarily benefit facility preparation to scale up engine production and other electric vehicle (EV)-product components.
"Today we are announcing significant investments to strengthen our industry-leading lineup of full-size pickups and SUVs by preparing four U.S. facilities to build GM’s sixth-generation Small Block V-8 engine,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability.
However, it should be noted that product details, timing, performance, and features for the V-8 engine are not yet being released along with the investment announcement. In the meantime, General Motors’ latest infusion of funds will bring their manufacturing facility investment commitments up to over $37 billion since 2013.
Specifically, $854 million of this investment will go toward preparing various manufacturers to produce the latest iteration of the V–8 engine, while an additional $64 million is headed to Rochester, New York, and Defiance, Ohio, to produce EV castings and components.
Flint Engine Operations, located in Flint, Michigan, will receive $579 million of GM’s investiture in preparation for the V-8 gas engine, whose production will include related block, crank, and head machining. Once this is done, the facility will begin work immediately on the necessary renovations while also continuing to build the company’s 3.0L turbo-diesel engine.
At the same time, Bay City GPS, located in Bay City, Michigan, will receive $216 million to prepare for camshaft, connecting rods, and block/head machining production, all of which will also go toward Flint Engine Operation’s work with V-8 engines.
In further efforts for the V-8 engine, Defiance Operations in Defiance, Ohio, will be using $55 million of GM’s investment in total. 85% of this money will be spent preparing the facility to produce a variety of block castings for the upcoming engine, while the remaining 15% will finance building a casting development cell for future EV operations.
Finally, Rochester Operations in Rochester, New York, will use $68 million for their facility. Of this amount, $12 million will support the V-8 engine by preparing the manufacturing site to build intake manifolds and fuel rails for Flint Engine Operations. The rest of the money will go toward producing battery pack cooling lines for EVs.
