If you want to know where an automaker’s priorities lie, sometimes it’s better to look not at their latest cars for sale, but at where they’re investing money for the future. One recent example: Hyundai expanding its manufacturing presence in the U.S., in part to deepen its customer base here. Another came at the end of November, with General Motors revealing that it will invest $550 million in two plants in Ohio and Michigan where specific components are made.
Writing at Autoblog, James Ochoa has more details, including that the parts made in these two facilities are used further down the supply chain largely to get gas-powered vehicles up and running. The latest investment includes allocating $300 million to the Romulus Propulsion Systems plant in Michigan “to increase the output of the 10-speed automatic transmissions used in its full-size pickups and SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe,” as well as $250 million to the Parma Metal Center in Ohio which produces sheet metal.
“Our manufacturing teams are the driving force behind GM’s success, and we’re committed to giving them the tools and training they need to excel in today’s advanced manufacturing world,” said Mike Trevorrow, GM’s senior vice president of global manufacturing, in a statement. “When we invest in our workforce, we’re not only building great vehicles — we’re helping secure the future of American manufacturing.”
The 2026 GMC Sierra EV Denali Tips the Luxury Truck Scales
Big and comfy, with tons of range, the Sierra EV Denali forces its way to the front of the packThis doesn’t look like a shift away from EVs quite as much as GM trying to navigate the challenges of an industry where there is demand for both gasoline-powered and electric vehicles. In June, the company announced plans to invest $4 billion in its manufacturing facilities over the next two years; but with this latest investment, GM has now committed $5.5 billion to manufacturing in the U.S. between the plants where cars, trucks and SUVs are made and facilities where parts are built from raw materials.
The automaker noted that this umbrella investment would cover its entire range of vehicles. In some cases, this involved investing money in facilities where both gas-powered and electric vehicles are produced, such as the Spring Hill Manufacturing plant in Tennessee. Or, as GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said in June, “We’re focused on giving customers choice and offering a broad range of vehicles they love.”
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