GM Defense wins $36.4 million federal contract for HD Suburbans

Detroit — The U.S. Department of State awarded GM Defense LLC a $36.4 million contract to build heavy-duty Suburban SUVs, the General Motors Co. subsidiary said Wednesday. 

The contract is to develop and validate large support utility commercial vehicles for future fleet production for the Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. GM Defense will build 10 of the vehicles over the next two years.

The Suburban will have a new body-on-frame chassis and suspension "designed to support increased government vehicle performance requirements with a higher payload capacity and greater ground vehicle weight," according to a GM Defense press release. 

GM Defense will deliver the first vehicles by next spring.

A contract to build a fleet of 200 heavy-duty Suburbans per year for nine years is expected following GM Defense's completion of the development contract in 2023.

khall@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @bykaleahall