GM to close Detroit battery-assembly plant, but not for reasons you might think
General Motors is closing its Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant near Detroit because its lease is expiring rather than due to a shift in its EV strategy. Affected employees and operations will be relocated to other facilities as the automaker navigates changing federal incentives.
Why it matters
Highlights how traditional automakers are continuously restructuring their EV supply chains and manufacturing footprints amidst evolving regulatory landscapes and lease constraints.
GM is closing a battery-assembly plant south of Detroit, a spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.
The Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant assembled battery packs for Cadillac’s flagship EV, the Celestiq, and both electric drive units (the motors that power the car) and battery packs for the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, a plug-in hybrid version of its famous sports car. Automotive News first reported the closure.
The closure is not related to GM’s electric vehicle strategy, the spokesperson said. Instead, GM leased the site, and the lease was nearing its end.
The employees and work at Brownstown will be moved to other GM facilities, though the company would not confirm which ones.
Like many automakers, GM’s electrification strategy was thrown a curveball after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the sweeping federal law signed last year, repealed incentives to produce and sell EVs.
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