GM confirms Lansing Delta Township plant will produce hybrid vehicles
Dive Brief:
- General Motors Co. is preparing its Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan to produce hybrid-electric vehicles, and repurposing an old grant to support the move, per an Oct. 27 press release.
- The Department of Energy is restructuring a $500 million grant that was previously awarded to GM for EV conversion work. That funding will now be used to prepare GM’s factory for future hybrid production, per the release.
- GM’s Lansing Delta Township plant currently builds the three-row SUVs, including the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. Details about specific hybrid models that will be built there, as well as expected launch timelines, will be shared in the future, per the release.
Dive Insight:
GM’s investment in Lansing is part of a broader commitment by the automaker aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing in the U.S., as well as for engineering and innovation. In July, the company said it will invest approximately $9 billion across its U.S. manufacturing footprint and more than $7 billion on U.S. research and development.
Specifically, the investment in Lansing is part of a larger commitment of over $2 billion in the region over the next several years, which includes a previously announced $1.25 billion in investment by GM to prepare the plant for future vehicle production.
GM was previously selected to receive the $500 million grant from the Department of Energy in 2024. It was part of former President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated a total of $1.7 billion for at risk auto manufacturing facilities.
Along with GM, Stellantis also received a $335 million commitment from the DOE through the Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants program to convert its shuttered Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois for electrification, as well as an additional $250 million to convert its transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana to produce electric drive modules for EVs.
The investments were intended to ensure that the U.S. automotive industry remained competitive. However, the Trump Administration paused some funding designated for EVs in 2025, then eliminated the $7,500 federal tax credit effective Sept. 30, 2025.
In October 2025, the DOE also announced the cancellation of more than 300 other financial awards for various energy initiatives, which were projected to save $7.6 billion. At the time, the DOE confirmed in an email to WardsAuto that it had not yet made any determinations regarding the $500 million awarded to GM, and the plans were essentially put on hold until the restructuring agreement was announced this week.
The Lansing Delta Township plant, which the grant will now support, had record productivity in 2025, when it built more than 291,000 vehicles, the highest-ever annual production in the factory’s history, per the release.
“Lansing’s strength starts with its people. Their skill and experience are why we continue to invest here,” said Mike Trevorrow, senior vice president of global manufacturing at GM, in a statement. “We’re building on what this team does well today while preparing for what customers will need in the years ahead. That means investing in our people, our facilities, and the ability to build a broad range of vehicles.”