WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S.
Department of State has awarded GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of
General Motors, a contract to develop and validate next generation
Large Support Utility Commercial Vehicles (SUV) for future fleet
production in support of the Department's Diplomatic Security
Service (DSS). As part of the total development contract valued at
$36.4 million, GM Defense will create
a purpose-built Heavy-Duty (HD) Suburban, building 10 vehicles over
the next two years.
Leveraging General Motors' commercial vehicle architecture
designed for full size pickup trucks and large SUVs, GM Defense
will use significant commercial-off-the-shelf parts, including the
body, exterior, propulsion, interior and brakes for their
government, purpose-built HD Suburban. The HD Suburban will feature
a new and unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension, designed to
specifically support increased government vehicle performance
requirements with a higher payload capacity and greater ground
vehicle weight.
GM Defense will use advanced manufacturing tools and techniques,
including fixtureless assembly and flexible fabrication, to support
increased efficiencies and quality in low-volume production of the
new chassis and frame. The advanced manufacturing techniques will
help to reduce overall program costs and offer greater flexibility
and responsiveness to address future customer needs.
"We're excited to be developing a fully-integrated,
purpose-built HD Suburban in partnership with the U.S. Department
of State," said Steve duMont, president of GM Defense. "The
Chevrolet Suburban has been an iconic name in commercial
transportation since 1935. Our development contract win speaks to
our long-standing legacy of exceeding transportation capabilities
and our new, HD Suburban will deliver government-specific advanced
mobility solutions to meet the needs of DSS."
GM Defense will deliver the vehicles in two phases, the first
delivery of which will be next spring. A production contract to
build a fleet of 200 HD Suburbans per year for nine years is
expected to succeed the completion of the development contract in
or about May 2023.
As part of GM's Global Innovation organization, GM Defense will
continue to leverage GM's expertise and proven capabilities to
bring new, innovative solutions to the government and defense
sector, creating growth opportunities for the company. For the
latest GM Defense news, please visit www.GMDefenseLLC.com and
follow GM Defense on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About GM Defense LLC
GM Defense delivers integrated
vehicles, power & propulsion, and mobility & autonomy
solutions to global defense, security and government markets.
The exceptional reliability of GM Defense's technologies
results from decades of proven performance and billions of dollars
spent in independent research and development by its parent,
General Motors, a world leader in global design, engineering and
manufacturing capabilities.
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gm-defense-awarded-36-4-million-development-contract-to-build-heavy-duty-suburbans-for-us-government-agencies-301377952.html
SOURCE GM Defense LLC