GM had a record-breaking year in 2022. So did Lansing Grand River Assembly

LANSING — General Motors Co. had record-setting success in 2022, driven in part by record sales of the Cadillac CT5 that is built at Grand River Assembly.

GM’s full-year 2022 revenue was $156.7 billion. Pre-tax profits rose to $14.5 billion in 2022 compared with $14.3 billion in 2021 and as a result of the yearly gains in profits about 42,300 U.S. hourly workers will receive a record-breaking profit-sharing check of up to $12,750.

Kelly Rumsey of Eaton Rapids, a Lansing Grand River general assembly group leader who’s worked for the company since 2013, said it was a challenging year with parts shortages.

“But to be able to overcome that and have record sales makes you really proud,” she said.

GM hopes to continue success in 2023

GM led the U.S. industry in total sales and delivered the largest year-over-year market share increase of any original equipment manufacturer, according to a letter GM CEO Mary Barra sent to shareholders Tuesday morning.

“We expect that our momentum will help us deliver strong results once again in 2023,” Barra wrote.

GM will start a $2 billion cost-savings program over the next two years with 30% to 50% happening this year. This will include cutting expenses and overhead as a precaution against an economic downturn, but no layoffs are expected, GM CFO Paul Jacobson said.

The company also expects 2023 to be a breakout year for its Ultium Cells platform. Ultium Cells is a joint venture between General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solutions Michigan Inc., with battery cell plant locations in or planned for Ohio, Tennessee and a $2.6 billion facility in Delta Township.

Ultium Cells spokesperson Brooke Waid said 2022 was a pivotal year for the company. Ultium Cells opened a battery cell manufacturing facility in Ohio after two years of work and, among other things, announced its largest investment to date in Lansing and broke ground on the project.

Steel construction for the Delta Township plant will wrap up in early spring and Ultium will begin installing process equipment toward the end of the year. The company will begin to hire and train new team members as it prepares for production in the second half of 2024, she said.

“2023 will be an exciting year for our Lansing site as we continue to buildout our 2.8 million-square-foot facility and grow our site launch team,” Waid told the State Journal.

Acknowledging the 'human component'

2022 marked Cadillac CT5's best sales year ever, which are only made at the Lansing plant along with the CT4 and Blackwing.

By the end of 2022 GM had sold 135,000 Cadillacs in the United States and 202,000 Cadillacs in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, according to GM's unaudited subsidiaries supplemental material. The data was not broken down by model.

Lansing Grand River Plant Director Jennifer Bigelow said Lansing employees who adjusted their work schedules due to supply chain issues this past year demonstrated an unwavering commitment to customers.

She said the city is fortunate to be the only plant community in GM and the U.S. with two assembly plants, two stamping plants and a customer care after sale facility.

“GM has built vehicles in Lansing for over 100 years and today's earnings news makes it clear that the capitol city has a promising auto manufacturing future,” she said.

UAW Local 652 President Ben Frantz said GM outperformed in 2022, but he wanted to give credit where it was due. “I think over the part shortages and everything else, it's the human component that we have to acknowledge today,” he said. “Without the bodies, the hearts, the minds and the members that put all those parts together and create a world class car, none of the profits are possible.”

Rumsey said “it’s a family legacy at this point” with her father and siblings working for the company.

Quality Control Supervisor Kyle Taylor, the third generation of his family to work at the company, said the company's been a large part of his family and it's exciting to be a part of building a car like the Blackwing.

Rumsey said it’s one thing to see the vehicles they make in the plant every day, but quite another to actually see it on the street.

'Every time you see one of our products you just get so excited," she said. "Like I made that.” 

Both Taylor and Rumsey said they want to continue to grow with the company moving forward into 2023, with Rumsey stating the future "looks really bright for us."

Detroit Free Press reporter Jamie LaReau contributed to this report.

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.