GM To Build New EVs At The Home Of A Dead American Automaker

Sep. 26, 2022 9:37 AM ET by Jarryd Neves Electric Vehicles / 3 Comments

At least AMC's Detroit heydays won't be entirely forgotten.

Earlier this year, the Mayor of Detroit announced the historic American Motors Corporation (AMC) headquarters would be demolished. Described as a "source of embarrassment," Mayor Duggan envisioned a new employment center that would provide myriad jobs and brighten up the landscape.

The plan involved building new industrial space in place of the old eyesore, and now it seems General Motors has taken an interest in the new development. According to Crain's Detroit Business (CDB), the automotive conglomerate is snapping up industrial properties as it aims to increase support for electric and autonomous vehicles at nearby production sites. CDB has learned that GM may lease the new building on the land where AMC's headquarters are currently stood.

GM spokeswoman Maria Raynal told the publication that a lease for the 760,000 square foot AMC facility "has not been finalized or signed, but ultimately we plan to use it as a supplemental space to support EV manufacturing at Factory Zero." Currently, Factory Zero is where the Hummer EV is built, and General Motors has said it will produce both the fully electric Silverado and Sierra at the facility.

According to Dan Labes of Newmark, a brokerage firm in New York, GM has also signed a lease for approximately 715,000 sq. ft. of space in Pontiac, Michigan. The land formerly belonged to a defense contractor and is earmarked "to support logistics and other EV work at [the] Orion [assembly plant]," added Raynal.

The Orion plant assembles the Chevrolet Bolt, and sources suggest the 715,000 sq. ft. of newly acquired space will support this plant by moving all operations to the new space. As mentioned, the AMC space will serve Factory Zero in the same way.

Aside from this, a subsidiary of the James Group has leased a 742,000 sq. ft. warehouse on the site of a former Ford assembly plant. This will be used to store and ship various parts for General Motors. Getting back to the former AMC site for a moment, it will be interesting to see whether GM uses this facility to produce future vehicles.

While the Cadillac Lyriq is produced in Spring Hill and the upcoming $300,000 Celestiq will be hand-built at a special facility in Warren, Detroit, there's a flotilla of GM-branded EVs coming shortly. It would only make sense for the company to increase production capabilities.

That remains to be seen, as NorthPoint Development (the company heading up the AMC building project) is yet to decide what it will build. As per the report, the company will either construct one large warehouse/light industrial building (761,000 sq. ft. in total) or two separate buildings - a smaller one with 215,000 sq. ft. and another with 513,000 sq. ft.

Company Vice President of development Tim Conder declined to comment on the matter.