Slate Auto, a U.S. electric vehicle startup backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has selected the site of a former printing facility in Warsaw, Indiana, as the manufacturing base for its upcoming electric pickup, the Slate Truck. Production is expected to begin ahead of the truck’s targeted market debut at the end of 2026, according to Business Insider.
The Warsaw facility spans approximately 130,000 square metres and formerly housed a printing operation that closed in 2023. The new electric vehicle plant is projected to create up to 2,000 jobs—well above the 500 jobs lost when the previous facility ceased operations. The site includes two factory buildings, each around 56,000 square metres.
“We would like to see what we can do to go into an existing facility that has been shuttered and reindustrialize and revitalize that community,” said Chris Barman, Managing Director at Slate Auto.
Slate Auto has seen strong early interest in its debut model. The company says it received over 100,000 pre-orders just weeks after the truck’s spring 2025 unveiling. The Slate Truck, available in two battery variants with estimated ranges of 241 km and 386 km, has a starting price of $27,500, positioning it as the most affordable electric pickup in the U.S. market.
With a modular design aimed at reducing production costs and simplifying repairs, the Slate Truck offers fewer premium features than its rivals but prioritizes utility and affordability. Its styling evokes 1980s and early 1990s pickup trucks, with a boxy, retro look designed to appeal to cost-conscious buyers.
Slate Auto’s approach mirrors strategies used by other EV manufacturers, such as Tesla and Rivian, which have repurposed existing industrial sites to fast-track production. The Warsaw site represents Slate’s first dedicated production facility.