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Shuttered Lordstown GM Factory Sold To Electric Truck Maker

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- A newly formed company led by the founder of an upstart electric truck maker is buying a former General Motors assembly plant in Ohio that shut down last March amid criticism from President Donald Trump.

The company called Lordstown Motors Corp. said Thursday it plans to make electric pickup trucks at the plant beginning in late 2020.

GM had employed 4,500 people at the factory near Youngstown just two years ago before it began cutting production.

The factory's closing has been in the political spotlight since last November after Trump criticized the plan and pushed GM executives to either reopen or sell the plant.

Lordstown Motors CEO Steve Burns says they intend to hire 400 production workers at the outset, but the company needs more investors before manufacturing can begin.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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