General Motors has temporarily halted production of several electric vehicles and laid off 1,300 workers at its Factory Zero plant in Michigan as demand for EVs, which are primarily made of an aluminium unibody, slows down due to market volatility. 

The EV market has been facing losses in billions of USD, according to an earlier Autoblog post. With many EV manufacturers facing loss in sales due to price surges in the aluminium sector, a Wall Street Journal report mentioned that many executives are thinking about completely shutting down production of electric vehicles. 

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GM has idled operations at Factory Zero again while increasing production of heavy-duty pickup trucks at its Flint assembly plant to meet stronger demand. The latest pause began on March 16, with affected workers expected to return on April 13. The plant had already been idled late last year and moved to a single shift in January 2026. Factory Zero produces GM’s larger electric models, including the GMC Hummer EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Sierra EV and Cadillac Escalade IQ, so all of these models’ production will be affected. 

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Smaller electric vehicles, such as the Equinox EV, which is GM’s best-selling EV in 2025, continue to be produced at the Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.

Other automakers are also adjusting their strategies. Ford plans to replace the all-electric F-150 Lightning with a range-extended version, combining electric drive with a gasoline-powered generator. Stellantis has also shifted focus, acknowledging that EV adoption has been slower than expected and reintroducing combustion-heavy models such as the Ram 1500 TRX with a Hemi V8 engine rated at 777 horsepower.

Even with these near-term changes, opinions on EVs remain mixed. UAW Local 22 President James Cotton said EVs “are the future,” while GM finance chief Paul Jacobson noted that sustained increases in fuel prices typically take around six months to influence consumer buying behaviour.

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