Former Hummer factory to produce EVs

AM General’s South Bend, Indiana assembly plant used to manufacture the epitome of gas-guzzling vehicles – the Hummer.

But the company has announced it is selling the plant to SF Motors, a subsidiary of China’s Sokon, in order to convert it to an electric vehicle manufacturing plant, reports Electrek.

The deal is only for the commercial plant and not where the military Humvees are built.

The plant also used to assemble SUVs for other automakers, like Mercedes-Benz. The transaction will close during the fourth quarter when AM General’s last remaining contract at the plant ends.

SF Motors plans to invest about $30 million (NZ$41.3 million) in the factory to retool it in preparation for the production of its next generation electric vehicles.

“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,” John Zhang, chief executive of SF Motors says.

“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.”

The company officially launched SF Motors and inaugurated its new headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley earlier this month. In China, Sokon is an important Chinese manufacturer of motorcycles and commercial vehicles, but its new SF Motors division is US-based and it will focus on electric vehicles.

Tesla co-founder and original chief executive Martin Eberhard is apparently a consultant for the new division. The company also hired several other former Tesla engineers.