With two assembly plants and a leading research facility, Illinois has positioned itself to become a center of the technology transforming the automotive industry. As automakers move to replace internal combustion engines with electric powertrains over the next decade or two, states are racing to stake their claims to electric vehicle manufacturing and the jobs it will create. So far, established automakers are primarily concentrating production in Michigan, Tennessee, Indiana and South Carolina. Newcomers such as Tesla and Lucid have chosen Nevada, Texas and Arizona. Illinois beat out Texas and Michigan for the Lion plant, a sign of the state's competitiveness in the industry. If it can lure a flock of electric vehicle parts suppliers, Illinois will hang on to its role as one of about a dozen states that account for most U.S. auto production, preserving a key source of high-paying manufacturing employment as well as advanced technical jobs.