The center of gravity for U.S. auto manufacturing is moving south, with electric vehicle and battery makers planning to spend nearly $24 billion in new factories from Arizona to Georgia. Already announced are the following plants and investments: Arizona Startup Lucid Motors has just opened a $300 million assembly plant for electric vehicles in Casa Grande, halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. The company says future expansion plans could take total investment up to $1 billion. Nikola Corp. said it is planning a $600 million facility in Coolidge, not far from Casa Grande, to build fuel-cell electric trucks. Texas Tesla Inc. is nearing completion of its $1.1 billion assembly and battery plant outside Austin, and has said it will move its corporate headquarters from California to Texas. Tennessee German automaker Volkswagen AG invested another $800 million in its Chattanooga plant to build electric vehicles, starting earlier this year with the ID.4. …