The carmaker recently proposed a $391 million investment at the factory that could allow it to build new affordable EVs
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by Brad Anderson
6 hours ago
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A lower-cost version of the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EUV could be built at the company’s Fairfax factory in Kansas City, as part of GM’s tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.
The car manufacturer’s deal with the UAW proposes an investment of $1.25 billion at its Lansing Grand River assembly plant in Michigan, as well as a $391 million investment at the Fairfax Assembly Site and $300 million at an engine plant in New York to produce electric drive units.
While recently speaking with Reuters, an unnamed source suggested that GM is thinking about building a low-cost version of the Bolt EUV at the Fairfax site in 2025 while more premium EVs from the Cadillac and Chevrolet brands would be built at Lansing from 2027. The summary published by the UAW did not specify products or timing for either the Fairfax or Lansing sites.
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GM will end production of the current Bolt EV and Bolt EUV at the end of this year to allow it to retool the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan for electric pickup production that’s scheduled to start in 2025. According to Guidehouse Insights principal research analyst Sam Abuelsamid, it is possible that GM will build the new Bolt EUV at the Fairfax site alongside other more affordable EVs.
Read: Next-Gen Chevrolet Bolt Officially Confirmed
General Motors confirmed that the Bolt would be updated for a third generation back in July. It will use new lithium iron phosphate battery cells and be brought to life on a faster development timetable, Auto News reports. In July, GM chief executive Mary Barra highlighted the importance of the Bolt for the brand.
“Our customers love today’s Bolt,” she said. “It has been delivering record sales and some of the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty scores in the industry. It’s also an important source of conquest sales for the company and for Chevrolet. We will keep the momentum going by delivering a new Bolt…and we will execute it more quickly compared to an all-new program with significantly lower engineering expense and capital investment by updating the vehicle with Ultium and Ultifi technologies and by applying our ‘winning with simplicity’ discipline.”
