By Christopher Otts
General Motors is laying off thousands of UAW-represented workers at factories that make electric vehicles and EV batteries as it retrenches from EVs after the end of federal subsidies and the elimination of some emissions regulations.
"In response to slower near-term EV adoption and an evolving regulatory environment, General Motors is realigning EV capacity," the company said.
GM plans to lay off more than 3,300 hourly workers at plants across Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee starting in January. Of those, more than 1,700 are being laid off indefinitely, while more than 1,500 are expected to be called back in mid-2026.
The automaker said that battery plants it jointly owns with LG Energy Solution in Ohio and Tennessee will be idled starting Jan. 5 and that it plans to resume production in mid-2026.
GM is also placing about 1,200 of the 3,400 workers at its dedicated EV assembly plant in Detroit on indefinite layoff.
The Detroit EV plant, which typically runs on two shifts, is idle until Nov. 24. Starting next year, it will operate on only one shift.
GM Chief Executive Mary Barra has said that EVs remain the company's "North Star" even as it scrambles to reduce its output in the short term.
GM took a $1.6 billion special charge related to its EV pullback in the third quarter, recognizing stranded costs such as tooling for a Michigan factory that it had prepared to produce EVs before deciding to assemble gasoline-powered trucks and SUVs there instead. The company will take another charge related to ending production of electric BrightDrop commercial vans in Canada.
Write to Christopher Otts at christopher.otts@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 29, 2025 12:54 ET (16:54 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.