Electric Pickup, Batteries Included In GM's $7 Billion Pledge

An all-electric pickup truck and an advanced battery system will be part of the $7 billion that General Motors Co has pledged to invest in the United States as parts of contract talks with the United Auto Workers. The automaker and the union were continuing talks late on Monday to resolve a strike by 48,000 hourly workers that shut down GM's highly profitable U.S. operations. GM said on Saturday it would make investments in eight facilities in four states, but did not specify timing, location or products other than the electric pickup and a battery cell plant.

GM plans to invest both in advanced propulsion systems for electric vehicles and in core products such as trucks and utility vehicles that generate much of its profit, the company said on Monday. Some of that investment is earmarked for the production of electric vehicles in Michigan and battery cells in Ohio, sources said.

GM also is expected to update plants in Michigan, Tennessee and Missouri to build redesigned versions of its midsize pickups and crossovers, according to a GM source. The company said it will invest in "additional new vehicle and propulsion programs," but said nothing about opening new plants.