General Motors Is Shifting Equinox And Blazer SUV Production From Mexico To USA

General Motors has announced a big shakeup in its production plans.

The automaker will no longer turn its Orion Assembly plant in Michigan into an electric truck factory and will build internal combustion engine full size pickups and SUVs there instead, starting in 2027.

GM has previously delayed the start of electric vehicle production at Orion Assembly from 2024 to late 2025. The added internal combustion engine truck capacity will reduce the company’s reliance on current Canadian and Mexican truck manufacturing.

GM will also be adding production of the internal combustion engine Equinox to its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas, which is currently being converted to build a new Chevrolet Bolt EV starting later this year. The Equinox is currently assembled exclusively in Mexico and is GM’s best selling model that isn’t a pickup. Production in Mexico will continue in parallel.

Similarly, production of the internal combustion engine Blazer will be moving entirely from Mexico to the Spring Hill Manufacturing complex in Tennessee when it is updated in 2027.

“We believe the future of transportation will be driven by American innovation and manufacturing expertise,” Mary Barra, Chair and CEO said in a press release. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to build vehicles in the U.S and to support American jobs. We’re focused on giving customers choice and offering a broad range of vehicles they love.”

GM also confirmed that a “next generation of affordable EVs” that is in development will be built at Fairfax Assembly.

The changes amount to a $4 billion investment that includes a recently announced $888 million earmarked for the automaker’s V8 engine factory in Tonawanda, N.Y.

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“Today’s news goes well beyond the investment numbers — this is about hardworking Americans making vehicles they are proud to build and that customers are proud to own,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “As you travel the country, you can see firsthand the scale of our manufacturing footprint and the positive economic impact on our communities and our country.”