GM Defense, a subsidiary of the General Motors Co., has picked a Concord, N.C. facility to mass produce its upcoming Infantry Squad Vehicle for the U.S. Army.
According to Fox News, the group was recently awarded a $214.3 million contract by the federal government to supply the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup-based truck.
“After the first 27 are built at GM’s Milford Proving Ground in Michigan, production next year will move to Concord, N.C. where GM Defense is taking over a building that was slated to become a GM performance and racing technical center before the project was shelved due to cutbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic.”
One of the country’s top GM suppliers and Concord-based, Hendrick Motorsports, will supply the “exo-skeleton” frame and a retractable rollover protection system that allows the nine-passenger vehicle to fit inside of a CH-47 Chinook or be slung from a UH-60 Blackhawk for rapid deployment. A step in a different direction for the auto seller and NASCAR championship group. The factory is positioned near the Concord Mills Mall area near Hendrick’s headquarters.
The Army’s 82nd Airborne is expected to receive the vehicles next year when they are officially put in service.
