Official

GM confirms $275M investment in Ft. Wayne Assembly for next-gen pickups

General Motors has announced its final factory investment, a $275 million spend on the Fort Wayne, IN, plant that assembles full-size pickups.

Back in May, the General promised it would be spending $2 billion on factory investments over the next year and a half. A series of announcements followed, with upgrades promised to the Chevrolet Corvette factory in Bowling Green, KY, engine plants in Flint and Bay City, MI, and a powertrain facility in Toledo, OH, among others. Most of GM's money will be saying close to home in the Midwest, with over $1.4 billion spent in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

Today's announcement follows a previous earmark for production of the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. GM had already confirmed $328 million for Flint Assembly. Previous reports have indicated that GM will launch its redesigned pickups as 2013 models.

For the entire press release, click past the jump.
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GM Invests $275 Million in Ft. Wayne Assembly Plant
Supports next-generation full-size pickups and creates or retains 150 jobs


2011-10-26

FT. WAYNE, Ind. – General Motors will invest approximately $275 million to prepare its plant here to build the next generation of Chevrolet and GMC full-size pickup trucks, creating or retaining 150 jobs.

The plant, which currently has 3,400 employees on three shifts, builds the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups.

The investment announced today is the last announcement of the $2 billion GM announced in May 2011 that will create or retain about 4,000 jobs in 17 facilities in eight states over the next 18 months.

"This investment will allow us to continue building award-winning pickups that offer better fuel efficiency than ever before without sacrificing features and functionality," said Larry Zahner, GM manufacturing manager. "We remain committed to providing customers the utility and capability of our world-class full-size pickups."

September was a very good month for GM's full-size pickup trucks. GMC Sierra sales were up 26 percent and Chevrolet Silverado sales were up 36 percent. Sales of GM full-size pickups have increased month over month since July, contributing to a year-to-date market share gain of about one full point.

"Today's announcement is great news for the hard-working members of UAW Local 2209," said Joe Ashton, UAW vice president, representing the GM Department. "Our members' experience and knowledge will ensure that this next generation of trucks will exceed the expectations of our customers. This is an important vehicle program for GM and the decision to locate the work in Fort Wayne demonstrates our mutual commitment to making GM a great American company."

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM's brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

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