Inside the mini factory where GM builds its EV future
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What's this about?
If you're driving through GM's sprawling campus in Warren, Michigan, you'd likely ignore the pair of adjacent, anonymous white buildings tucked away in the upper reaches of the 710-acre space. Inside those buildings, which total half a million square feet together, is a massive construction project
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A large, modern factory floor filled with advanced machinery and workers in protective gear, with a small, incongruous plastic toy car placed prominently on a desk in the middle of the room.
Caption: Inside GM's EV future: where toy cars direct real factory plans.
Read the full 3-panel strip
Based on the original story on theverge.com.
Editor's note
While GM's new mini factory for electric vehicle components may seem like just another industrial build, it's actually a glaring admission that the company's future isn't as bright as its executives claim. This quiet corner of GM's vast property symbolizes a significant pivot, hinting at the reality that traditional automotive giants are scrambling to stay relevant in an electric vehicle world they once dismissed.
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Panel 1
(a) The subject of this story is General Motors, a major automaker with a sprawling campus in Warren, Michigan. GM is in the process of building a mini factory within two anonymous white buildings on the campus to focus on electric vehicle (EV) production. (b) The irony is that the future of GM’s electric vehicle production is happening in two small, anonymous buildings on their expansive campus, rather than in a grand new facility that would signal a major shift. (c) The highlight is the contrast between the small, unassuming buildings and the monumental significance of what's happening inside them. ### Script
Panel 2
*Inside a small, anonymous white building on the GM campus, a worker in a hard hat and safety vest is operating a high-tech machine. A small sign above the door reads A coworker in a casual shirt and jeans stands nearby, looking puzzled.*
Narrator: ELECTRIC FUTURE.
Worker: So, we’re building the future of GM in this tiny shed?
Panel 3
*In the same building, the worker and coworker are now in a control room filled with screens and wires. The coworker is flipping through a brochure of GM’s expansive campus, showing massive buildings and impressive machinery.*
Coworker: You'd think they'd have a grand new facility for this. This is where they’re making the electric cars?
Worker: Yeah, but hey, it’s still the future, man.
Panel 4
*Outside the building, two executives are walking past the anonymous white building on a paved path. One executive is holding a tablet and looking at it with a bemused expression. The other executive is nodding, clearly impressed by something on the tablet.*
Executive 1: Isn’t that where the electric cars are being built?
Executive 2: Yes, it’s a bit... unassuming, isn’t it? But they’re turning out some of the most innovative tech right here.
Executive 1: I guess the future doesn’t need grandeur to be impressive.
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