GM to move Detroit HQ deeper into downtown area next year

DETROIT: General Motors (GM) will move its headquarters deeper into downtown here next year, said the United States carmaker on Monday, after spending more than 20 years in its riverfront home at the Renaissance Center.

GM will place its global headquarters a few blocks away from the centre, in a sleek new highrise building called Hudson’s, which will be the second-tallest skyscraper in Detroit.

“It’s important to all of us at GM that we continue to call Detroit our home for a long time to come,” said chief executive officer Mary Barra at a press conference.

The new headquarters would provide collaborative areas for employees, space to host events as well as display vehicles, she said.

GM remains the only member of the Detroit Three carmakers to have its headquarters in the Motor City. Ford Motor’s home base is nearby in Dearborn, Michigan, and Chrysler parent Stellantis has its main North American office in Auburn Hills, Michigan, about 48km from here.

Ford is in the process of rehabilitating Michigan Central Station in downtown Detroit — the city’s historic but dilapidated former rail station — to be a large hub for tech workers and software engineers.

The GM headquarters — with its glowing logo atop one of the towers — has become an important part of Detroit’s skyline since the carmaker purchased the property in 1996.

The move to this location was “a milestone that helped spark a downtown renaissance”, the company says on its website.

GM would partner with real estate firm Bedrock and with the City of Detroit and Wayne County, to study how to redevelop GM’s Renaissance Center headquarters, said Barra.

GM had entered into an initial 15-year, multi-level lease for the top office floors as well as showcase space at the street level, the carmaker said in a statement.

Financial terms between GM and Bedrock were not disclosed.

GM president Mark Reuss and a company spokesperson declined to provide details of the difference in cost and square footage at the new building compared with the current headquarters.