General Motors is planning to invest $336 million in its Detroit-Hamtramck factory to produce the new Chevrolet Volt electric car next year, bringing the combined Volt-related investments in eight different facilities in Michigan to a total of $700 million. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be the final assembly location for the Volt, using tooling from Grand Blanc, lithium-ion batteries from GM's Brownstown Township battery pack manufacturing facility, camshafts and connecting rods from Bay City, and stampings and the Volt's 1.4L engine-generator from Flint.
"We expect the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be the first facility in the U.S. owned by a major automaker to produce an electric car. It is the hub for the wheel that we began rolling in 2007 when the Volt debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit," said Jon Lauckner, GM vice president of global product planning.
The Detroit automaker said that in order to reduce cost and maximize flexible manufacturing techniques, certain equipment for Volt production is being reused from other GM facilities and installed in the Detroit-Hamtramck plant's body shop while the car itself will be built on the existing assembly line at Detroit-Hamtramck..
General Motors plans to begin the assembly of Volt prototype models next spring, with regular production scheduled to start in late 2010.
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