An auto plant in South Bend, Indiana that once produced the archetype of the North American gas guzzler, the Hummer, is being converted to manufacture next-general electric vehicles.
AM General is selling the commercial side of the plant—not the side-by-side division that produces Humvees for the U.S. military—to SF Motors, a subsidiary of Chongqing Sokon Industry Group of China.
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SF Motors will invest about US$30 million to retool the plant.
“This transaction represents a unique opportunity to grow our intelligent electric vehicle business through the addition of an existing production facility and a skilled work force,” said CEO John Zhang. “We are excited to work closely with our new Indiana-based team to produce SF Motors’ next-generation electric vehicle in South Bend, Indiana, and we look forward to becoming a part of the local community and a strong contributor to Indiana’s economic growth.”
SF Motors officially launched in Silicon Valley last month, Electrek reports, and has engaged Tesla founding CEO Martin Eberhard as a consultant, alongside several former Tesla engineers.