General Motors is adding 1,200 jobs at two plants to produce new vehicles.
Despite new vehicle sales being down slightly to begin the year, the number of buyers wanting new sport-utility vehicles only seems to rise ever higher, and General Motors is struggling to keep up with demand.
The company said Friday it will add 1,200 new workers to its production lines at two plants in Lansing, Michigan. It will add 800 workers at its Lansing Delta Township facility, which builds the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave.
The company revised its Traverse and Enclave models, making them look more like SUVs than crossovers for 2019 and in the case of the Enclave, it must have helped at sales rose 3% last year to 51,156 units from 49,647. Travese sales were up slightly at 0.4%.
(GM investing $56M at two Michigan plants.)
2020 Buick Enclave with Sport Touring package.
Meanwhile it will also add 400 jobs at the Lansing Grand River plant, which builds the new Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans. Both are new entries in the luxury brand’s line-up and run counter to GM’s push toward utility vehicles for its other brands. However, sedans appear to remain part of the company’s portfolio.
“We are excited to provide these opportunities in Lansing,” said Phil Kienle, vice president, GM North American Manufacturing and Labor Relations.
“Our team members have proven experience in building high-quality vehicles and are well-prepared to meet the needs of our customers. This is great news for our manufacturing sites as well as the Lansing community.”
(Cadillac expands V-Series line-up with CT5-V, CT-4V.)
GM noted the two shifts will be added during the second quarter. The automaker also noted it invested $36 million at Lansing Delta Township last year for future midsize SUV production, as well as the $175 million investment at Lansing Grand River in 2018 to modernize tooling and equipment for the all-new Cadillac CT4 and CT5.
The Sport edition of the 2020 Cadillac CT5 reveals the brand’s commitment to sedans that are fun to drive.
The company was quick to point out it has invested more than $1 billion in its Lansing plants since 2015. GM’s earned the scorn of many, including President Donald Trump, in recent months as it pushed to close four U.S. plants as part of an effort to shed excess capacity. A strike by UAW workers managed to save one of the four sites, Detroit-Hamtramck, or D-Ham as it’s known.
The D-Ham facility will be the new home for the company’s electric vehicle products, including the soon-to-be revealed GMC Hummer battery electric pickup truck. The company also plans to build an autonomous vehicle called the Origin for its Cruise subsidiary. The shuttle will likely be tested in San Francisco, as the company just received permission to begin hauling riders from the State of California.
(Cadillac’s new CT5 revealed through a “sensory symphony.”)
The plant just built the last Chevy Impala at the site Thursday morning. It will now begin retooling the facility to handle the aforementioned projects as well as future electric vehicles that will be produced at the plant.