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Cadillac Celestiq, Lyriq, Hummer, other future GM electric cars: Here's everything we saw at ‘EV Day’

WARREN, Mich. — Today, General Motors held an “EV Day” event at its Warren, Michigan, campus to present its new “Ultium” battery technology, modular electric vehicle architecture and soon-to-come electric vehicles. Unfortunately, we were forbidden from bringing cameras into the event, so while we canÂ’t show you what we saw, we can tell you more about it. While we saw the previously teased Cadillac EV (which we now know to be called the Lyriq) and the GMC Hummer pickup teased during the Super Bowl, there were a number of other future cars at the event, which GM President Mark Reuss assured us are all real vehicles in the works. The biggest surprise came at the end of the event, though, in the Cadillac Celestiq electric sedan, which Reuss described as a future flagship that would be hand-built “very locally.” It had been hiding under a dark sheet all morning, with the front and rear illuminated Cadillac emblems shining from underneath. When the wraps came off, we saw a long, white, four-seat fastback sedan. The 23-inch wheels were pushed out to the very corners of the car, giving it what appeared to be a very long wheelbase. The model on the stage had no side mirrors or visible door handles. The grille mirrored that of the Lyriq crossover next to it, with integrated lighting in lieu of the usual mesh or slats youÂ’d see in an internal combustion car. The entire roof, all the way until it tapered to the tail of the vehicle, was tinted glass. In back, vertical tail lighting ran down the C-pillar before turning rearward across the top of the trunk. Inside, everything below the beltline of the windows — essentially all but the headrests and top portion of the steering wheel, was hidden from view. Behind the Celestiq, a large digital display showed a rendering of its interior. The dash consists of a pillar-to-pillar curved LED display serving as both instrument panel and infotainment system. Protruding forward between the front seats was another touchscreen that appeared to house some more controls, with open area, probably for storage, below it. The rear seats had the same sort of touchscreen between them. Built into the back of the front seats were a pair of rear-seat entertainment screens, much like we saw in the Lyriq. The door panels blended wood, metal and animated lighting to give character and a sense of opulence. GM interior design manager Tristan Murphy was on hand to tell us a bit more about the Celestiq.

GM renames its Detroit-Hamtramck plant Factory Zero

Maybe we'll win, saved by zero. General Motors on Friday announced that its sprawling Detroit-Hamtramck facility, which is being retooled to build electric vehicles, has been renamed Factory Zero — as in zero emissions, along with the promise of an autonomous future in which there are zero crashes and zero congestion. The company is spending $2.2 billion to retool the plant into a futuristic facility that is flexible enough to build a variety of cars and trucks across the GM portfolio of brands. GM says that's the most it has ever spent on a production facility, and when the plant's cranking out EVs at scale it will have created 2,200 manufacturing jobs. Factory Zero's first projects will be the all-electric GMC Hummer pickup and the self-driving electric Cruise Origin, both build on GM's new Ultium battery platform, with other EVs to follow. Factory Zero should start cranking out Hummer pickups by fall 2021. A Hummer SUV will come along later. Check back with Autoblog when the Hummer is revealed next Tuesday, Oct. 20. Sustainability will be another key feature. During construction, excess concrete from pours in the plant has been used to pave roads, and stormwater runoff is being recycled to charge the factory suppression system and circulate in cooling towers. The 365-acre site also has 16.5 acres of wildlife habitat — GM says monarch butterflies hang out there, along with foxes and wild turkeys. GM says it's committed to powering all its southeast Michigan plants with sustainable energy by 2023, the rest of its U.S. facilities by 2030, and overseas plants by 2040. To that end, Factory Zero has a 30-kilowatt solar carport, and a 516-kilowatt ground-mounted solar farm, from DTE. “Factory ZERO is the next battleground in the EV race and will be GMÂ’s flagship assembly plant in our journey to an all-electric future,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. “The electric trucks and SUVs that will be built here will help transform GM and the automotive industry.” Related Video:     Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing GM Hummer hamtramck

GMC's Hummer EV will offer several powertrain options

General Motors confirmed plans to resurrect the Hummer nameplate on a GMC-badged electric pickup, and it's beginning to release details about the drivetrain that will power the model. Speaking to investors, company president Mark Reuss announced buyers will have at least three drivetrains to choose from at launch. The few specifications that have already been announced are impressive. GMC quoted a three-second sprint from zero to 60 mph, at least 1,000 horsepower, and 11,500 pound-feet of torque, though that latter figure undoubtedly corresponds to wheel torque rather than the powertrain's basic output. Most truck buyers don't need Lamborghini-rivaling acceleration, and they'd rather not pay for it, so GMC will also offer more basic versions of its Hummer. "When we go to market, we'll have one-, two-, and three-motor versions offering different ranges, different performance, and different price points to meet customers wherever they may be. If the customer wants a basic package, we'll have that. If the customer wants true off-road capability, and towing capability, we'll have that, too," Reuss said. He stopped short of revealing additional specifications about each configuration. While that sounds expensive to develop and certify, Reuss explained General Motors is keeping costs in check by making the Hummer's powertrain as modular as possible. He compared the platform to an ice cube tray. Its overall dimensions are fixed, but people can choose how many rows they fill with water. What he's likely alluding to is a scalable battery pack whose capacity can be increased or decreased by adding or removing cell packs. As for the motors, we're expecting the entry-level, rear-wheel drive Hummer will come standard with a single motor mounted over the rear axle. The mid-range variant will likely gain a second motor positioned over the front axle to deliver through-the-road all-wheel drive, and the range-topping trim will receive individual rear motors (though they won't be integrated into the wheels) for jaw-dropping performance, and improved off-road capacity.  Economies of scale will come into play, too. While the Hummer is the only electric off-roader whose launch has been confirmed by General Motors, Reuss stated the company's other brands will benefit from it, too. "We'll have a complete lineup of EVs, including the [Hummer EV] and its stablemates," he said.