The party is on – until the next fuel crisis?
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today announced a second major expansion of its full-size pickup production capacity this year: a $150 million investment at Flint Assembly to increase output of the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups, which begin shipping to dealers this week. Opened in 1947, Flint Assembly currently operates three production shifts.
This news follows GM’s announcement last month to expand light-duty, full-size pickup production capacity in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in response to strong customer demand. (GM to Invest $1.2 Billion in Fort Wayne Pickup Plant)
Trucks are among GM’s most profitable vehicles. Less expensive fuel prices, low interest rates, and a modest recovery in the U.S. economy have caused a resurgence in truck sales among the Detroit Three after they plummeted in 2008 as the Great Recession took hold.
GM has invested more than $1.6 billion in the Flint Assembly since 2013, increasing the truck plant’s production capacity of the all-new Chevrolet and GMC HD pickups by about 40,000 vehicles annually, including more crew cab models and diesels.
Additionally, 1,000 new jobs were created this year, bringing employment at the plant to more than 5,000. The new investment will enhance the plant’s conveyors and other tooling to increase production capacity. The work will be completed in the first half of 2020.
Mark Reuss, GM president said, “Our all-new Chevrolet and GMC HD pickups are the toughest, strongest, most capable heavy-duty pickups we’ve ever brought to market, and our Flint team is up to the challenge to build world-class quality products GM’s full-size truck product offensive began last year.”
Combined sales of the all-new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab pickups, the highest volume model in the fiercely competitive full-size pickup segment, were up 20% in the first quarter of 2019 versus a year ago. GM is projecting another significant increase for Q2.
The Flint and Fort Wayne investments are the most recent GM has made to strengthen its growing truck, SUV and crossover business. Other investments include those previously announced in Dayton, Ohio; Parma, Ohio; Romulus, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Lansing, Michigan.
Since 2009, GM has invested more than $23 billion in its U.S. manufacturing base – claiming that’s more than one-quarter of every dollar spent by any automaker.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
GM Invests $150M in Flint to Increase Pickup Production
The party is on – until the next fuel crisis?
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today announced a second major expansion of its full-size pickup production capacity this year: a $150 million investment at Flint Assembly to increase output of the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups, which begin shipping to dealers this week. Opened in 1947, Flint Assembly currently operates three production shifts.
This news follows GM’s announcement last month to expand light-duty, full-size pickup production capacity in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in response to strong customer demand. (GM to Invest $1.2 Billion in Fort Wayne Pickup Plant)
Trucks are among GM’s most profitable vehicles. Less expensive fuel prices, low interest rates, and a modest recovery in the U.S. economy have caused a resurgence in truck sales among the Detroit Three after they plummeted in 2008 as the Great Recession took hold.
GM has invested more than $1.6 billion in the Flint Assembly since 2013, increasing the truck plant’s production capacity of the all-new Chevrolet and GMC HD pickups by about 40,000 vehicles annually, including more crew cab models and diesels.
Additionally, 1,000 new jobs were created this year, bringing employment at the plant to more than 5,000. The new investment will enhance the plant’s conveyors and other tooling to increase production capacity. The work will be completed in the first half of 2020.
Mark Reuss, GM president said, “Our all-new Chevrolet and GMC HD pickups are the toughest, strongest, most capable heavy-duty pickups we’ve ever brought to market, and our Flint team is up to the challenge to build world-class quality products GM’s full-size truck product offensive began last year.”
Combined sales of the all-new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab pickups, the highest volume model in the fiercely competitive full-size pickup segment, were up 20% in the first quarter of 2019 versus a year ago. GM is projecting another significant increase for Q2.
The Flint and Fort Wayne investments are the most recent GM has made to strengthen its growing truck, SUV and crossover business. Other investments include those previously announced in Dayton, Ohio; Parma, Ohio; Romulus, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Lansing, Michigan.
Since 2009, GM has invested more than $23 billion in its U.S. manufacturing base – claiming that’s more than one-quarter of every dollar spent by any automaker.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.