GM’s Orion Assembly Plant won’t build electric trucks until mid-2026
Buick’s EV timeline just became TBD
The Cruise self-driving robotaxi will no longer use the Origin purpose-built vehicle
General Motors is again delaying a planned ramp-up of electric pickup trucks, as well as the first Buick EV for the U.S., reports Bloomberg (via Autoblog).
Manufacturing of Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV pickup trucks at GM’s Orion Assembly plant in Michigan has been postponed until mid-2026, CEO Mary Barra said during an earnings conference call Tuesday.
The delay is the main reason why GM won’t be able to meet a previous goal of having production capacity for one million EVs in 2025, according to the report. Barra announced last week that GM would miss that goal, blaming slow demand. But the automaker has also struggled to ramp up production capacity of new EVs using its Ultium battery tech.
2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1
This is the second delay for the repurposing of the Orion plant, which previously built the Chevy Bolt EV until that model was discontinued at the end of 2023. That move was meant to make room for electric trucks at the Orion plant.
This is the second time that GM has pushed back scaled-up truck production. In late 2023 it announced that this wouldn’t happen until 2025, with the Orion plant remaining idle in the meantime rather than continuing Bolt EV production. A next-generation Bolt EV is due for the 2026 model year.
Low-volume production of the Silverado EV is already underway at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Detroit. GM said in its Q2 financial results that it delivered 3,257 of the trucks in the first half of 2024. The automaker said in April that Sierra EV deliveries would start this summer, with initial production also expected to be sourced from Factory Zero.
Buick Wildcat EV concept
Buick remains the only GM brand in the U.S. without an all-electric model. Its first EV for the U.S. was scheduled to be revealed later this year as the first in a series dubbed Electra, and with styling inspired by the Buick Wildcat concept shown in 2022. Buick also began offering dealer buyouts in 2022 in anticipation of an EV remake.
GM this week also confirmed that its Cruise self-driving technology subsidiary would no longer use the Origin, a purpose-built vehicle lacking a steering wheel and pedals, but utilizing the same Ultium battery tech as the automaker’s other EVs. That project had already been on hold for months, after various issues last year set back the firm’s plans and timeline. Cruise will instead use the next-generation Bolt EV for its robotaxi fleet.
