GM Defense begins work on NC factory that will build its U.S. Army Infantry Squad Vehicle

GM Defense has identified and started preparing the facility it will use to mass produce its upcoming Infantry Squad Vehicle for the U.S. Army.

The General Motors subsidiary was awarded a $214.3 million contract to supply the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup-based truck.

After the first 27 are built at GM’s Milford Proving Ground in Michigan, production next year will move to Concord, N.C., where GM Defense is taking over a building that was slated to become a GM performance and racing technical center before the project was shelved due to cutbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The building is located near the headquarters for Hendrick Motorsports, who will supply the “exoskeleton” frame and a retractable rollover protection system that allows the nine-passenger vehicle to fit inside of a CH-47 Chinook or be slung from a UH-60 Blackhawk for rapid deployment.

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The ISV was developed as a high-speed off-roader and is built with 90% off-the-shelf production parts, including its high-performance Multimatic DSSV shocks featured on the Colorado ZR2.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
GM	GENERAL MOTORS CO.	55.49	+0.70	+1.29%

Four trucks have already been delivered to the Army for final evaluation, and a production run of 649 through 2024 has been confirmed, with the contract including provisions for up to 2,065 if further funding is approved.

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The Army's 82nd Airborne will be the first division to receive the vehicles when they are officially put in service.