GM to close Michigan battery plant amid EV shift

General Motors said it will close its Brownstown Battery Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, when the lease expires next summer. The 480,000‑square‑foot facility, which opened in 2009, has been a niche site for assembling high‑voltage battery packs for the Cadillac Celestiq and for batteries and electric motors used in the Chevrolet Corvette E‑Ray. The decision comes as the automaker adjusts its original aggressive EV strategy in response to softer‑than‑expected consumer demand and changing federal regulations.

Plant history and product focus

The plant has a long history of specialized production. It built batteries for the Celestiq, a low‑volume ultra‑luxury EV, and also produced the small battery and electric motor for the short‑lived E‑Ray model. In addition, a part of the site was used by GM and Honda to develop hydrogen fuel‑cell technology in a joint venture that has now been dissolved.

Workforce numbers at the plant have already fallen from a peak of about 300 to fewer than a dozen employees, according to Automotive News. Under General Motors’ agreement with the UAW, the remaining workers are being offered transfers to other nearby facilities, with ongoing production at the Brownstown site being shifted to other GM plants across the country.