Lordstown Motors to Unveil Truck at Detroit Auto Show

DETROIT – Lordstown Motors Corp. will unveil its Endurance pickup truck at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this summer.

The automaker, which closed on its purchase of the former General Motors Lordstown Complex in December, is expected to begin production of the electric-powered truck by the end of the year.

Lordstown Motors plans to launch the production intent vehicle at the show, John LaFleur, chief operating officer, said in Youngstown this morning.

“The Detroit auto show is a big event for us,” LaFleur said. “Clearly we won’t be in production/manufacturing by then but for the last year we’ve been working on the design, the elements, tooling and so forth for building the first vehicle. So that will be a production intent vehicle we’re going to launch at the auto show. It’ll really be our position to launch to the world.”

Traditionally held in February, this is the first year the Detroit auto show is being held in the summer. Media preview days will be held June 9 and 10, with the show open to the public June 13-20.

“We have had discussions with Lordstown Motors and know they are very interested in having a presence at the 2020 NAIAS,” said the auto show’s executive director, Rod Alberts, in a statement to The Detroit News. “We would love to have them be a part of our reimagined show in June and we will continue working with them on the final details to make sure this happens.”

The news was first reported by Reuters, which also said Lordstown Motors is pursuing a $200 million loan from the U.S. Energy Department. Lordstown Motors CEO Steve Burns met separately Monday with Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio.

“We think we are worthy of government help. We don’t want a handout – we want a loan,” Burns told Reuters. “It’s just going to be more jobs faster if we get it. We are viable without it.”

Added Ryan in a statement: “I’m heartened that Lordstown Motors will be providing high wages to Ohio workers, and I will do everything I can to help them secure an ATVM loan and keep moving this project forward.

The agency’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program has previously been used to award loans to Ford Motor Co., Nissan and Tesla in 2009, but has not issued any since 2011.

In Lordstown Motors’ case, the funds would be used to retool the plant – where General Motors once built sedans including the Chevrolet Cruze – to accommodate its full-size pickup trucks.

Burns also told the news outlet that it plans to repay its $40 million loan from GM “in a few weeks.”

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Copyright 2020 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.