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Wednesday, 25 May, 2011 5:05 PM

GM Adding Two Shifts, 2,500 Jobs to Detroit-Hamtramck Plant

New Chevrolet Malibu and next-generation Impala join electric Volt and Opel Ampera

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DETROIT – General Motors is adding two shifts and about 2,500 hourly and salaried jobs at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build the new Chevrolet Malibu mid-size sedan and the next-generation Impala large sedan alongside the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera electric cars.

GM on Wednesday announced the additional shifts and a $69 million investment in tooling and equipment to support the next-generation Impala. In April 2010, GM announced a $121 million investment to support Malibu production.

“Filling this plant with new work is very satisfying because GM is dedicated to helping rebuild this city,” GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the plant Wednesday. “We are confident in the flexibility of the plant, the excellence of our workers and the great cars assembled here.”

This announcement is part of GM’s plan announced May 10 to create or retain about 4,000 jobs and invest $2 billion in 17 manufacturing facilities in eight states. Announcements positively impacting employment in Bowling Green, Ky., home of the Chevrolet Corvette; and powertrain plants in Toledo, Ohio, as well as Flint and Bay City, Mich., were made recently.

These moves are on top of 9,000 jobs saved or added and $3.4 billion invested in U.S. operations since mid-2009.

“Given the competitive nature of the auto industry in the United States, the bar for success is placed very high,” said Joe Ashton, UAW vice president-GM Department. “The members of UAW Local 22 soar over the bar every day by demonstrating their flexibility, hard work, and their intense focus on the customer.

The jobs will be filled by laid-off UAW members with the possibility of new hires to follow.

GM announced last week that after a four-week shutdown, the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will exclusively build Volt and Ampera electric cars with extended-range capability for the rest of the year. Exports of Volt and Ampera to Canada, Europe and China are included in the total 16,000 electric vehicles being built for the full 2011 calendar year. The Volt/Ampera production goal for 2012 is up to 60,000 with three-quarters of those to be sold in the United States.

The new Malibu – Chevrolet’s first global midsize sedan – will be built in Detroit and Fairfax, Kan., as well as China and Korea and will be sold in more than 100 countries on six continents.

Detroit-Hamtramck currently has 1,121 hourly and salaried employees.

“This workforce understands that meeting our diverse and sophisticated customers’ need for high-quality and reliable transportation is our most important task,” Ashton said.

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM), one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 202,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 30 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Italy. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

Source: General Motors Company

Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors