Chevy Volt Plant in Detroit Gets $336 Million GM Investment
Published Dec 7, 2009
DETROIT — General Motors said it will invest $336 million to convert a portion of its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, beginning in late 2010.
The Volt, a plug-in hybrid that uses a 149-horsepower electric motor, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a lithium-ion battery pack, was first introduced as a concept at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show.
GM said it is investing $700 million in Michigan to build the Volt and its various components, including engines and stampings in Flint and a battery manufacturing facility in Brownstown Township.
The company says it will begin building pre-production prototypes of the Volt next spring at the Detroit-Hamtramck factory, which opened in 1985 as a highly automated Cadillac assembly plant.
Inside Line says: By the time the Volt finally reaches Chevrolet dealerships in late 2010, nearly four years after GM first displayed the concept, the automotive world may be turning away from hybrids and shifting its focus to pure battery-electric vehicles. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent