At the Indiana plant where the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 are assembled.
When General Motors announced details about its first-quarter results, it was more than happy to talk about the massive increase in demand for the 2019 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab models. The first of the company’s brand new fullsize pickup trucks, these two generated combined sales that were up by 20 percent compared to Q1 2018.
That is why this week’s announcement about GM deciding to boost production of the two pickup trucks does not come necessarily as a surprise. To make it happen, the automotive conglomerate will invest $24 million to upgrade the Fort Wayne Assembly plant where production of the 2019 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 will be expanded, with an emphasis on the aforementioned crew cab models.
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Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO, declared the company is already assembling Chevy and GMC crew cab pickups at a “record volume,” and this investment will allow GM to further boost production output to meet the high demand. The two trucks hit the market in the second half of 2018 and customer deliveries of the double-cab models produced in Fort Wayne kicked off during Q1 2019. During this quarter, availability of the regular cab and double cab body styles was very limited, but all cab styles have been in full production since March.
GM mentions the plant’s upgrade will be finalized this summer and will increase the total amount of investments made at Fort Wayne to more than $1.2 billion since 2015. Interestingly, GM points out that they’ve invested a total of $23 billion in U.S. manufacturing since 2009 or “more than one-quarter of every dollar spent by automakers.”
Towards the end of April, GM announced plans to add a second shift and more than 400 hourly jobs at its Bowling Green factory in Kentucky to get ready for the mid-engined Corvette C8, which will be (finally) revealed on July 18.
Source: General Motors
GM to Invest $24 Million to Expand Full Size Truck Production at Indiana Plant
Since 2015, GM has invested more than $1.2 Billion at Fort Wayne Assembly U.S. Manufacturing Investments Top $23 Billion in Last Decade
Roanoke, Ind. – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) is making a new round of upgrades to its Fort Wayne Assembly plant to further increase production of the all-new Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups – especially crew cab models.
“We are building Chevrolet and GMC crew cab pickups at record volume and mix levels to meet customer demand and the $24 million investment will allow us to build even more,” said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO. “The team here at Fort Wayne has done an outstanding job helping us satisfy customers throughout this launch. Our product ramp-up was very smooth and the quality has been exceptional. Crew cab sales have been very strong, and we are expanding customer choice with new models, more cab choices and innovative new powertrains.”
Combined sales of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab pickups, which launched in the second half of 2018, were up 20 percent in the first quarter of 2019 versus a year ago. GM is projecting another significant increase for the second quarter. Customer deliveries of the double-cab models built in Fort Wayne began during the first quarter.
The $24 million will be invested to further enhance the plant’s conveyors and other tooling to support the increased production. The work will be completed this summer. With today’s announcement, GM has invested more than $1.2 billion in the plant since 2015.
Since 2009, GM has invested $23 billion in U.S. manufacturing – more than one-quarter of every dollar spent by automakers.