General Motors CEO, Mary Barra has been downsizing the copany for years. in 2018 she announced the largest layoff since the 2008 bailout. Since then, she has shuttered plants, killed off models, and seemingly carried a scalpel with her to be ready for more opportunities at a moment’s notice. “In this area of rapid transformation, you have to have a culture that’s agile,” she said in a 2016 interview. Like Rivian’s RJ Scaringe, she has an engineering background. She’s also a “lifer.” She started with GM at the age of 18 and has been there her entire career. This could be why she’s so interested in drastic changes. As someone who’s lived (and survived) numerous company downturns, she likely recognizes that the cycle WILL repeat without a change. So she summons Sheryl Crow, as if to live by the motto, “A Change (Would Do You Good).”
Change can be expensive. Such is the case at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee plant, where the company is investing roughly 4.5 BILLION on expansion. The former Saturn plant, which put Spring Hill on the map in the late 1980s, is getting a major upgrade. Slated to open in 2023, It will be the company’s second battery production facility, and will likely make the majority of ev batteries for the company, starting with the Cadillac Lyric.
The expansion is a partnership with LG. Together, the two companies have formed Ultium, the battery platform used in all futre GM vehicles.
One thing is for sure, there is no going back now. You may love evs or you may hate them, but they are the next generation platform. If you refuse to accept that, you’ll end up just like the “i’m not very computer litterate” crowd did in the last generation.
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