General Motors (GM) plans to close its Brownstown Battery Assembly plant in Michigan after allowing the facility’s lease to expire next summer, according to Automotive News. The 480,000-square-foot site, which has operated since 2009, will then be decommissioned.
The facility has served several purposes during its operating history. Most recently, it manufactured electric vehicle drive units and batteries for the now-discontinued Corvette E-Ray, as well as batteries for the Cadillac Celestiq. The source said the Corvette E-Ray has been replaced by the Grand Sport X.
Approximately 80,000 square feet of the plant was also occupied by a former joint venture between GM and Honda focused on hydrogen fuel cell development. The joint venture has since been dissolved after the automakers ended those development efforts.
Employees at the plant have been notified of the planned closure and offered positions at other nearby facilities. Staffing at Brownstown has already declined from around 300 workers to fewer than 12 recently.
Separately, GM plans to repurpose another Detroit-area building that had been designated for a partnership with Piston Automotive. Under an agreement reached in 2024, the project was expected to create 150 jobs, involve a $55 million investment and establish GM’s first hydrogen fuel cell production plant.
GM later decided not to continue pursuing the technology after determining that it had no clear path to profitability. The automaker has assumed Piston Automotive’s long-term lease for the building and is evaluating how the site could be used in the future.
The closure comes as GM adjusts its electrification strategy amid softer electric vehicle demand. The automaker has placed greater emphasis on hybrids while shifting investments toward more affordable and efficient vehicle options.
Source: fordauthority.com
