GM to spend more than $500M at Flint engine plant
About Gerald Johnson
Gerald Johnson, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing & Sustainability at General Motors, has been a key spokesperson for the company’s dual strategy of investing in both internal combustion engine and electric vehicle (EV) production. In December 2023, he announced a $579 million investment at the Flint engine plant to produce the next-generation small-block V8 engine, stating that while GM is committed to an all-EV future, there are "a lot of internal combustion engine customers that we don't want to lose." Johnson has also emphasized GM's progress in its EV transition, describing the company's $2.2 billion investment to transform the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant into "Factory Zero," GM's first fully dedicated EV assembly plant. He has stated that GM has the engineering capacity to build both ICE and EV vehicles throughout this decade and has set a goal of producing 1 million EV units by 2025. Johnson has also addressed broader industry and societal issues. During GM's Q4 and FY 2023 earnings call, he credited the Flint Assembly team for playing a "huge role" in the company's strong year, noting GM was number one in full-size trucks and total sales for 2023. In earlier appearances, he discussed GM's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including producing masks and ventilators, and spoke about the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion following the death of George Floyd. Johnson, who has been with GM for over 40 years and is a recipient of the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year award, has described his role as responsible for the safety and performance of over 130,000 employees globally.