GM producing Cadillac Lyriqs at Spring Hill plant

SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nationwide production of electric vehicles has amped up, and the crown jewel of General Motor’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet is the Cadillac Lyriq, which is built in Middle Tennessee.

Walking in through the Spring Hill plant, the carousel of cars dance through the warehouse. For nearly 40 years, the traditional vehicles reigned supreme, until four months ago when the Lyriq entered the scene.

“Absolutely, our number one priority,” said Anton Busuttil, the Plant Executive Director. “The Lyriq is very, very important to General Motors; it’s very important to the marketplace and very, very important for our zero emission future.”

The majority of vehicles being built there are still traditional, but they are slowly increasing the number of EVs to meet demand.

“I think the consumer is expecting it, the consumer is really making a shift to EV. It’s our focus as a company, and where we believe and where our values are of a zero emission future,” said Busuttil.

The process though, has not been without obstacles.

“I think the biggest challenge is just the way that EVs are built is quite a bit different than an internal combustion engine vehicle. And to be able to do those simultaneously has been a big challenge. But it’s one that we’ve kind of been the pioneers of to be able to do this.”

Busuttil continued, “And it’s been a challenge for our employees as well. They’re used to building one type of vehicle now we’re asking them to build both.”

Rick Smearman, the Assistant Plant Director, gave News 2 a tour of the plant. He said the process is so unique, making it the only plant in the country to build traditional internal combustion engines on the same line as electric vehicles.

He points out a step in the process, “When we go to marry this up underneath of the vehicle, the whole center section really is gone because this is where the battery sits.”

The plant and its employees have adapted to the changes, investing in training and $2 billion into the plant.

“I think we are going to be in a period of transition over the next number of years, where we scale up EVs and we still have great high internal combustion engine vehicles for our for our consumers, and they have a choice, right and we’ll see where the market demand takes us,” said Busuttil.

GM plans to introduce even more electric vehicles in the future.