General Motors announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest approximately US$275 million at its Fort Wayne assembly plant in Indiana to build the next generation of GMC and Chevrolet full size pickup trucks.
The latest investment is part of a US$2 billion plan that was announced back in May, which will create or retain around 4,000 jobs in 17 of GM’s U.S. factories over the next 18 months.
“This investment will allow us to continue building award-winning pickups that offer better fuel efficiency than before without sacrificing features and functionality”, said GM’s manufacturing manager Larry Zahner.
The Ft. Wayne plant currently builds the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra models. It employs 3,400 workers in three shifts, to which a further 150 will be added or retained.
GM is investing in pickups since their sales increase with each passing month: in September, Silverado and Sierra sales were up 36% and 26% respectively compared to same month last year. .
UAW vice president Joe Ashton, who represents the union’s GM department, was obviously happy about the company’s decision: “Today’s announcement is great news for the hard-working members of UAW Local 2209. Our members’ experience and knowledge will ensure that this next generation of trucks will exceed the expectations of our customers.”
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