North American Electric Vehicle Production Projects Face Setbacks Amid Government Changes and Declining Demand

The introduction of a new government in the United States and the ongoing decline in electric vehicle demand have severely impacted hundreds of millions of dollars in production investments across North America. Some automakers have delayed production plans in certain cases, while others have canceled factory upgrades intended for assembling electric vehicles. Here’s an update on various electric vehicle production projects in North America as of mid-2025. **BMW: Greer, South Carolina Plant** BMW will invest $1 billion to upgrade its plant in Greer, South Carolina, with plans to produce at least six fully electric vehicles by 2030. The plant was originally set to start producing electric vehicles in 2026, but this timeline may be pushed back. The investment plan for the Greer plant began in 2023, which includes a 1 million square foot expansion of the existing 8 million square foot assembly facility. However, the plant's annual production capacity will remain unchanged at 450,000 vehicles. BMW has not disclosed which models will be produced at the Greer plant, but according to Auto Forecast Solutions, the iX5 crossover is expected to begin production in Q4 2026, the iX7 in Q4 2027, and assembly of the iX6 is planned to start in Q3 2028. **BMW: San Luis Potosi, Mexico Plant** BMW plans to invest €800 million (approximately $927 million) in its plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to produce the new generation (Neue Klasse) electric vehicles, creating about 1,000 jobs and expanding the area of the vehicle assembly, body shop, and other sections by nearly 1.2 million square feet. This expansion will also include a battery pack assembly center covering 861,000 square feet, with plans to increase battery production capacity to supply batteries for 140,000 electric vehicles by early 2029. **Ford: Oakville, Ontario Plant** Last year, Ford abandoned a $1.3 billion investment plan to transform the Oakville Assembly Complex into an electric vehicle hub, originally set to produce several three-row crossovers. Ford is now redesigning the plant to produce gasoline-powered Super Duty trucks, with production expected to begin by the end of 2026, yielding 100,000 trucks annually. **Ford: Stanton, Tennessee Plant** A 4 million square foot Ford assembly plant is still under construction northeast of Memphis, Tennessee. This plant is part of the 3,600-acre BlueOval City complex and was initially planned to produce a full-size electric pickup, internally codenamed T3, with an annual capacity of 500,000. However, Ford has repeatedly delayed the production start date, now expecting the first pickups to roll off the line in 2027. **General Motors: Kansas City Plant** This year, General Motors will start producing the next generation Chevrolet Bolt at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City. Following the cessation of Chevrolet Malibu production last year and Cadillac XT4 in January, the plant is undergoing equipment upgrades. Under an agreement with the United Auto Workers reached in 2023, GM committed to investing $391 million in the Fairfax Assembly plant for electric vehicle production. **General Motors: Lansing, Michigan Plant** In 2024, GM's Lansing Grand River Assembly plant received a $500 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to transition to producing electric vehicles and components. Previously, GM had committed to a $1.25 billion investment in this plant for future electric vehicle production. Currently, the plant produces gasoline-powered Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans. **General Motors: Orion Township Plant** GM announced in June that it has decided to abandon plans to transform its Orion Assembly plant in suburban Detroit to produce Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size electric pickups. The plant previously produced the Bolt EV but ceased production in 2023 and underwent retooling. GM had previously pushed the electric pickup production timeline to mid-2026, citing "changing electric vehicle demand" and the need for engineering improvements to enhance profitability. **Honda: Alliston, Ontario Plant** In April 2024, Honda announced a $15 billion investment to establish an electric vehicle and battery plant at its Alliston, Ontario site. However, a year later, the Japanese automaker paused this significant project due to U.S. auto tariffs and lower-than-expected electric vehicle demand in North America. **Honda: Ohio Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Center** Construction of Honda's Ohio Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Center is progressing. This center includes Honda's Marysville Auto Plant, East Liberty Auto Plant, and Anna Engine Plant. Additionally, Honda is collaborating with LG Energy Solution to build a new battery plant. The first model based on Honda's self-developed electric vehicle platform, the Acura RSX, is set to be assembled at the Marysville plant in early 2026. **Hyundai Motor Group: Georgia Metaplant** Hyundai Motor Group is investing $7.6 billion in the Metaplant project outside Savannah, Georgia, which will combine electric vehicle and battery production. The project is expected to produce six electric and hybrid models from the Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia brands. The first model produced will be the Hyundai Ioniq 5, followed by the three-row Ioniq 9 (which is already in production in Q1). The plant is projected to start manufacturing Kia electric vehicles in 2026. **Lucid: Casa Grande, Arizona Plant** Lucid has expanded its Casa Grande, Arizona plant with a new assembly line and stamping shop, as well as expanded painting and powertrain production facilities. The company began production of its second model, the Gravity crossover, last December and expects to gradually ramp up production in 2025. **Nissan: Canton, Mississippi Plant** Nissan is preparing to undertake a $500 million overhaul of its assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, to produce the next generation of electric vehicles. This investment plan spans several years and will expand the Canton plant's footprint to assemble battery packs and other components. Nissan plans to start production of the first two electric sedans in June 2026 but has adjusted its plans due to weak electric vehicle demand. **Rivian: Normal, Illinois Plant** Rivian is investing $1.5 billion to expand its plant in Normal, Illinois, in preparation for the launch of the lower-cost R2 midsize crossover in the first half of 2026. The expansion will add 1.1 million square feet, increasing annual production capacity from 150,000 to 215,000 vehicles. **Scout: Blythewood, South Carolina Plant** Scout, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, is gradually taking shape in Blythewood, South Carolina, with key areas such as assembly, painting, and body shops already under construction. The plant is set to begin production of Scout's Traveler SUV and Terra pickup in 2027. **Stellantis: Brampton, Ontario Plant** In February of this year, Stellantis suspended all production activities at its Brampton assembly plant in Ontario to prepare for the next generation Jeep Compass electric model. This model was originally planned to start production in February 2026 but may be delayed by 8 months to a year. **Tesla: Sparks, Nevada Plant** Tesla is building a large-scale production line for its Semi truck project in Nevada as part of its investment in heavy-duty trucks. The plant is also constructing a facility for 4680 battery production. Production is expected to begin in 2026. **Toyota: Georgetown, Kentucky Plant** Toyota plans to centralize its electric vehicle production in its Georgetown, Kentucky assembly plant, aiming to produce two three-row electric vehicles for the Toyota brand and a sister model for its partner Subaru, with production expected to begin in 2026. **VinFast: Moncure, North Carolina Plant** Vietnamese automaker VinFast has postponed the opening of its $4 billion plant in North Carolina to 2028. The plant was originally set to produce the VF 8 and VF 9 crossovers. VinFast announced this delay to optimize capital allocation and effectively manage short-term expenditures.