General Motors (GM) has announced that the company has begun work on upgrading plants and facilities in order to begin production of self-driving vehicles. GM will invest over $100 million to upgrade its Orion Township assembly plant and its Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant in Michigan. The former will produce GM’s Cruise AV (Automated Vehicle) while the latter will produce roof modules for sensor arrays and cameras.
Production of the fourth-generation of the Cruise AV is expected to begin in 2019, GM says, after three generations of test models, which began testing in 2017. The company has already produced over 200 Cruise AV test models at its Orion plant. The Orion plant is also the primary production facility for the all-electric Bolt EV.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.