GM will build new electric vehicle, add 400 jobs at Orion plant

March 22 (UPI) -- General Motors will invest $300 million in its Orion Assembly Plant in Michigan, adding 400 new jobs plus a new all-electric vehicle to its lineup, the company announced Friday.

GM hasn't officially released details about the new electric vehicle but said it's "advancing GM's commitment to an all-electric future." The vehicle will carry the Chevrolet branding.

"It will be designed and engineered off an advanced version of the current award-winning Bolt EV architecture," GM said in a statement.

The factory already manufactures Chevrolet's first all-electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Bolt. GM had originally considered building the new EV outside the United States, but decided to build it at Orion instead.

"It makes sense because the Chevrolet Bolt EV is built at Orion and this is a great workforce," GM CEO Mary Barra told CNBC. "So there is capacity here to be able to do that and there are synergies as well."

Earlier this year, Chevrolet canceled the hybrid Volt as it scaled back on car production.

On March 15, GM announced plans to build its new autonomous vehicle, the Cruise AV, at the Orion plant.

GM has come under fire from President Donald Trump in recent weeks for closing the Lordstown, Ohio plant, including a call to Barra.

Just spoke to Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors about the Lordstown Ohio plant. I am not happy that it is closed when everything else in our Country is BOOMING. I asked her to sell it or do something quickly. She blamed the UAW Union - I don't care, I just want it open!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019

GM also announced that it has 2,700 job openings across the country for workers displaced at Lordstown or other plants. So far, 1,100 employees have been transferred to other locations.

Ford announced a nearly $900 million investment in U.S. plants this week to produce autonomous and electric vehicles. Trump highlighted that in a tweet this week.

Great news from @Ford! They are investing nearly $1 BILLION in Flat Rock, Michigan for auto production on top of a $1 BILLION investment last month in a facility outside of Chicago. Companies are pouring back into the United States - they want to be where the action is!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019