FILE PHOTO: General Motors Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra poses after making an announcement of a major investment focused on the development of GM future technologies at the GM Orion Assembly Plant in Lake Orion, Michigan, U.S. March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra on Wednesday defended the automaker’s plan to sell an assembly plant in Ohio, arguing the plan to sell the plant to an electric vehicle start-up was thoroughly vetted and had a chance of success.
Barra told Reuters in a brief interview Wednesday after a series of meetings on Capitol Hill that the company did not plan to add a new vehicle to its Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant that ended production in March because it has additional unused U.S. capacity. Last month, GM announced it was in talks to sell the plant to EV startup Workhorse Group Inc and an affiliated, newly formed entity.
“General Motors did a lot of vetting,” Barra said. “We’re trying to find solutions.”
She also said it was unclear what the precise impact would be on GM of U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods that could take effect on June 10.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Nick Zieminski