General Motors has announced plans to spend US$1.5bn to build and launch its next generation of midsize pickup trucks.
The Wentzville truck plant will receive $1bn of this investment to upgrade the facility in preparation for the new products. This investment is expected to retain about 4,000 US manufacturing jobs at the site.
The plant’s paint shop, body shop and general assembly areas will receive upgrades, including new machines, conveyors, controls and tooling.
“Through this investment, General Motors is making a firm commitment to the state of Missouri, the city of Wentzville and the GM Wentzville team,” said Mark Reuss, GM president.
“This is part of our comprehensive strategy to invest in growth areas and strengthen our US manufacturing base. GM sells more pickups than any other automaker and we have aggressive plans to build on our strengths.”
Since reintroducing the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in 2013, GM has sold 700,000 midsize pickups in the US and claims the models have helped cement it as the US industry’s most successful pickup truck company for four consecutive years.
From 2013 through Q3 2019, GM sold 600,000 more pickups than any other competitor in the US.
GM has invested heavily in midsize trucks in recent years by bringing more product features to market, including new diesel and petrol engines, new transmissions and special edition models, like the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and Bison, as well as the GMC Canyon AT4 available next year.
Wentzville assembly plant opened in 1983. The plant operates on three shifts and currently employs about 4,000 hourly and 330 salaried employees.
It builds the Colorado and Canyon plus Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans.
+info Automoción: just -auto