General Motors is trying to speed ahead in the race for metals underpinning the industry’s shift to electric cars.

DETROIT — Rising factory output led to strong U.S. sales at the end of last year, pushing General Motors’ fourth-quarter net income up 16% over the same period a year ago.

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors says it will spend more than $900 million to update four factories, with the bulk going to an engine plant in Flint, Mich., to build the next-generation V8 for big pickup trucks and SUVs.

General Motors, which plans to go almost entirely electric by 2035, is creating a new energy division that will produce chargers for electric vehicles, as well as solar panels and other energy-related technology for homes and businesses.

General Motors says it will spend $760 million to renovate its transmission factory in Toledo, Ohio, so it can build drivelines for electric vehicles.

Western U.S. utility giant PG&E Corp. and automaker General Motors Co. are working together to see if electric vehicles can be tapped as a source of backup power for homes in Northern California.

There’s a big upside to record used-car prices: auto lenders such as GM Financial are cashing in.

General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra showed off the company’s electric Chevrolet Silverado at the CES exhibition, announcing that the pickup will go on sale in spring 2023 to compete with battery-powered trucks from longstanding rival Ford Motor Co. and newcomer Rivian Automotive Inc.

General Motors Co. has talked up its electric vehicle plans for years, and even generated buzz by resurrecting Hummer’s gas-guzzling name in the form of an electric pickup truck. Now comes the tough part: selling mass-market EVs.

General Motors will host the grand opening of Factory Zero in Detroit-Hamtramck next month to start building new electric vehicles, the automaker said Oct. 27.