Gary Zhou 
Orion Township approved General Motors’ (GM) request for a tax rebate on its proposed $1.3 billion investment to expand the Orion Assembly Plant, the facility that makes the Chevy Bolt. The Orion Assembly Plant will also produce GM’s other electric vehicles.
GM plans to introduce 30 new electric vehicles to the global auto market by 2025, and the Orion Assembly Plant will play a key role in its goal. Currently, the facility produces the Chevy Bolt EV and the Bolt EUV. The automaker also conducts Cruise AV tests at the plant.
According to GM’s official application for the tax rebate: “The proposed investment is primarily for the construction of several additions and land improvements to support electric vehicle production.”
The legacy automaker’s $1.3 billion investment will go to land and building improvements. It does not include the cost of additional land or new machinery, equipment, etc. The Orion Assembly plant opened in 1983 on 433 acres of land. The existing facility measures 4.3 million square feet.
GM wants to start improving its Chevy Bolt factory by July 01, 2022, and plans to finish the project by December 31, 2025. The company formally requested permission to complete construction within 12 years, “plus 3 years (until December 31, 2025) to complete construction,” in its application.
GM estimates that approximately 2,000 jobs will be created or retained by December 31, 2028, due to the $1.3 billion improvement to the Orion Assembly Plant. As of June 2021, GM reported that 1,181 people work at the Orion Assembly Plant, supported by the UAW Local 5960 union. The company noted that the population count of the Orion Assembly Plant was based on location and not by full-time equivalent.
“Why I am in favor of this is because this is a $1.3 billion investment in the plant, and it will preserve our jobs in the future. I want to congratulate General Motors and the UAW on this,” said Mike Flood, a township trustee.”
