General Motors investing in Toledo plant for EV production support

Kalea Hall
The Detroit News

General Motors Co. Toledo Transmission plant on Friday is expected to receive an investment to support electric-vehicle production − marking the first time a GM propulsion plant will receive allocation for EVs.

The company said in a media advisory sent Wednesday the event would be for a "positive plant manufacturing announcement," on Friday. The plant, which has about 1,700 employees, makes transmissions for front-wheel and rear-wheel drive full-size trucks, cars and SUVs. Securing EV propulsion jobs is a main concern for the United Auto Workers as the industry transitions. Specifics on the investment weren't released Wednesday.

The exterior of the General Motors Toledo Transmission Operations facility is shown in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021.

Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability, United Auto Workers President Ray Curry, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo, will all be in attendance, according to the GM media advisory.

GM has transitioned several assembly plants to build electric vehicles, including Factory Zero at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center and Spring Hill Assembly in Tennessee. Orion Assembly in Lake Orion, which currently makes the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, will eventually make electric trucks. The company is aiming to have the capacity to make 1 million EVs for North America by 2025.