Inside the Plants That Build the Chevy Silverado & Hummer EV

Take a video tour of the aluminum casting plant for the Silverado powertrain and Factory ZERO where the Hummer EV is built.

Roughly half a million Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks are sold each year. That is about 1,400 per DAY. That is a lot of trucks. So, they need to be built quickly and efficiently. Humans play a vital role of course, but the speed and precision of the robots can’t be matched. It is fascinating to watch how these huge machines perform such varied and sometimes delicate tasks.

Thanks to a video posted on the FRAME YouTube channel we get a look into how the Chevrolet Silverado is built. And as an added bonus we get a tour of Factory ZERO which is where the Hummer EV is built.

These are very different vehicles with very different technologies, yet the build process is surprisingly similar. It is mesmerizing watching how raw materials become one of the most advanced and capable vehicles in the world.

Aluminum Casting Facility for Silverado

The video starts at the GM aluminum casting facility located in Indiana. It is here that molten aluminum is turned into the beating heart of the Silverado. Sand and stainless-steel casts can be used to form the components required.

After the casts are made robots place them on conveyor belts and Automated Guided Vehicles to start their journey. Each one is checked for quality by both humans and machines. As the engine and transmission are built the ladder frame goes along the assembly line getting the suspension components installed.

Eventually giant cranes help move the powertrain to the frame so they can be joined. While this is going on the body-in-white is working its way through the plant getting prepped and painted. Eventually it is assembled to the frame. At the end of the line the truck is put on rollers and the alignment is set. Another Silverado is born.

Factory ZERO

Next, we get a look at Factory ZERO. Here the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV are built. This factory builds the Hummer EV in a similar manner to the Silverado in that humans and robots work in various stages of the process.

However, Factory ZERO uses the most advanced technology and tooling, designed with sustainable manufacturing in mind. It is powered by sustainable energy and is key in the GM vision of a future world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion.

Important Vehicles

The Chevrolet Silverado is the best-selling product in the entire GM portfolio. The Hummer EV is the halo off roader product for GM.

These are important vehicles for the company as well as for the buying public. Obviously how they are built is critical to their long-term quality. We don’t often get the opportunity to walk the shop floor to see it happen with our own eyes.

However, this video does a great job of replicating that experience for us. The Silverado name first appeared on the C/K pickups as a trim level back in 1975. Now in 2023 it is a stand alone model and the way it is built is vastly different than it was nearly 50 years ago.

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.