In the presence of US President Joe Biden, the US automaker General Motors (GM) inaugurated its first factory for electric pickups in the state of Michigan.
Biden used the visit to "Factory Zero" in Hamtramck in the greater Detroit area on Wednesday for a short jaunt with an electric GMC Hummer pickup.
"Does anyone want to get in the back - or go up on the roof?" Asked the President jokingly.
He was impressed by the electric car: "These things are something special."
A 36-year-old GM factory was converted to manufacture the electric pickups.
Like its historic US competitors Ford and Chrysler, the traditional car manufacturer is relying on the strategy of bringing the pickups, which are hugely popular in the country, onto the market as e-vehicles.
The car manufacturing giants known as the Big 3 have also come under pressure from competition from electric car manufacturers such as Tesla and Rivian, which was recently successfully launched on the stock exchange.
Pickups enjoy great and stable demand in the USA from companies in the construction and energy sectors, among others.
They also offer high profit margins.
The Hummer Pickup is likely to become a niche product: the list price is $ 112,000 (almost 99,000 euros).
Electric cars currently only account for around three percent of sales in the United States.
In the fight against global warming, however, the Biden government has high hopes for electric vehicles.
A $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure package signed by Biden on Monday provides, among other things, $ 7.5 billion for charging stations for electric cars.